It doesn't matter how Republicans feel about the candidate. If the Democratic candidate for governor in Wisconsin can energize & mobilize voters, they have a very, very good chance of winning at the moment, especially when Republicans are running a candidate who doesn't have much to offer in the way of energizing his base.
The "you need to be moderate because there are a lot of Republicans here" thing doesn't make a goddamn lick of sense. It's manipulation.
