Firebrand former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke leading in Wisconsin Senate poll, even before Gallagher declined candidacy
The former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who has long history of far-right political views, is leading in by 20% in a recent Wisconsin poll, despite not even announcing his run.
The former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, who has long history of far-right political views, is leading in by 20% in a recent Wisconsin poll, despite not even announcing his run.
The survey was conducted by Public Policy Polling (PPP) and collected results from 507 likely Republican primary voters in Wisconsin. Among the potential Senate candidates for the Republican primary election on April 2 — which also included U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R), U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R) and former candidate Eric Hovde — Clarke was leading by 20% over Gallagher.
- Clarke: 40%
- Gallagher: 20%
- Tiffany: 10%
- Hovde: 3%
- Not Sure: 27%
PPP conducted this poll on June 5 and 6, meaning that it came before Gallagher announced he will not run for the seat on Friday. Gallagher cited his commitment to his current House seat and his current chairmanship of the special committee investigating the Chinese Community Party as his reasons for not running. Gallagher taking himself out of the race will likely increase Clarke’s lead even more.
Clarke was appointed as Milwaukee County’s sheriff by then-Gov. Scott McCallum (R) in 2002 and was reelected three times. Despite proclaiming himself a Democrat, he has proven to be anything but in his career. After a series of controversies including the death of an inmate, abuse allegations and the death of a newborn child, Clarke resigned from his position in 2017.
Clarke has been an avid supporter of former president Donald Trump and has spoken at his rallies in the past. During a rally he headlined in Milwaukee, Clarke called for the Proud Boys to establish a chapter in Milwaukee, and he even critiqued the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 for not being “disciplined” or “well-planned.”
Since resigning as sheriff, Clarke has been an active right-wing commentator, making frequent appearance on Fox News and CNN, but he was apparently banned from the former. Clarke also started his own podcast in 2023 called “Straight Talk with America’s Sheriff.” Although he is leading in this recent poll, Clarke has not formally made it his intention to run for the U.S. Senate, but he has entertained the idea.
The winner of the April primary will likely face Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) in the November 2024 general election.
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