With the first Republican Presidential Candidate debate already on tap for this evening, Wright County Republicans announced the returns from their traditional Wright County Fair Straw Poll, held last weekend on the grounds at Howard Lake.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a presidential hopeful with a record at the state level of taking on public worker unions and reforming the Wisconsin economy, led the field of 19 possible selections with 24.1 percent, or 79 of the 328 ballots cast at last weekend’s fair.
Coming in second was business and media mogul Donald Trump, who is leading in several national polls, with 56 votes, or 17.1 percent of the ballots.
Dr. Ben Carson finished in third at the poll, while Sen. Rand Paul was fourth. Flordia’s Jeb Bush, brother of former President George W. Bush, rounded out the top five.
Seven ballots, interestingly, were written in for Wright County’s own Bruce Anderson, a longtime public servant from the Buffalo area who has been in both the Minnesota State House and State Senate. Anderson is an A+ rated conservative, according to local polls.
“Anderson beat out several other prominent candidates leading us to expect a special announcement any day now!” the Wright County GOP said via its website.
About 9 percent of the ballots, or 28 votes, were undecided, some 15 months before the general election arrives in November of 2016.