Senate Showdown in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Sheboygan, Wis. — While a sun-bathed duel on Eighth Street before the city’s brutalist fountains would have been more cinematic, it is nonetheless true that Ron Johnson’s and Mandela Barnes’s campaigns are sparring in the Sheboygan streets for votes — Barnes to the north of the Sheboygan River at Paradigm Coffee, and Johnson just to the south, beside the GOP offices.

First to the area was Ron Johnson, who passed through Sheboygan on Sunday night before the Packers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. Introduced by a riffing Congressman Glenn Grothman, Ron Johnson made his pitch centering on decency and honesty — compared to the alleged lies of the Left. The event was relatively well-attended — 80 or so people. A decent turnout, especially given the time of day and the temulence of the general population. Most attendees fell within the category of Gen X — not the demographic I was expecting, though the cohort has been trending rightward. I chatted with a substitute teacher for the local Catholic grade school (an institution that routinely embarrassed my Reformed alma mater in basketball. Note: Papalists play without mercy rules when drubbing Protestants). “Debra” was most concerned with Democrats’ school policies and their unqualified support for abortion.

About the Author

Luther Ray Abel

Luther Ray Abel is an Associate Editor for National Review. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Luther is a proud native of Sheboygan, Wis.

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Sheboygan, Wis. — While a sun-bathed duel on Eighth Street before the city’s brutalist fountains would have been more cinematic, it is nonetheless true that Ron Johnson’s and Mandela Barnes’s campaigns are sparring in the Sheboygan streets for votes — Barnes to the north of the Sheboygan River at Paradigm Coffee, and Johnson just to the south, beside the GOP offices.

First to the area was Ron Johnson, who passed through Sheboygan on Sunday night before the Packers’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. Introduced by a riffing Congressman Glenn Grothman, Ron Johnson made his pitch centering on decency and honesty — compared to the alleged lies of the Left. The event was relatively well-attended — 80 or so people. A decent turnout, especially given the time of day and the temulence of the general population. Most attendees fell within the category of Gen X — not the demographic I was expecting, though the cohort has been trending rightward. I chatted with a substitute teacher for the local Catholic grade school (an institution that routinely embarrassed my Reformed alma mater in basketball. Note: Papalists play without mercy rules when drubbing Protestants). “Debra” was most concerned with Democrats’ school policies and their unqualified support for abortion.