In November 2010, challenger Joe Knilans defeated three-term incumbent (and Assembly Speaker) Mike Sheridan with 52% of the vote.
The 44th District comprises most of the City of Janesville, Rep. Paul Ryan's hometown.
In 2012, challenger Deb Kolste crushed Knilans by a 6,402-vote margin, amassing 62% of the vote. Kolste more than doubled Sheridan's vote total, though the elections for President and U.S. Senate were certainly major factors in this increase.
Nevertheless, the size of her victory remains an impressive achievement and reflects the fact that Deb, her campaign staff, and volunteers worked very hard to win this election.
So much more to speculate about, including all of Paul Ryan's visits to Waukesha County, including this initial eyebrow-raiser.
Ryan Soaks Up Home State Pride As New Romney Running Mate. An 8/12/2012 AP report from Waukesha, describing Ryan's return to Wisconsin after being selected as Romney's running mate.
At the time, I remember having a "chopped-liver" reaction to reading this story. If I were a Janesville resident, I'd be royally pissed.
I imagined a common reaction being, What?! We're not good enough for him all of a sudden?
To me, the choice of venue for a "homecoming" was Ryan's first major stumble of his campaigning.
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