Milwaukee mayor will challenge the Republican incumbent, Scott Walker, who has been recalled over anti-union laws
The Milwaukee mayor, Tom Barrett, has won the Wisconsin state Democratic primary and will face its Republican governor, Scott Walker, in a 5 June recall election that has become a nationally watched battle over union rights.
Based on preliminary results in Tuesday's primary, Barrett beat three other Democrats and one Republican running as a Democrat.
Preliminary results showed Barrett with 54% of the vote. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, who was the favourite candidate of major unions, was second with 37%. The secretary of state, Doug La Follette, got 3% followed by the state senator Kathleen Vinehout with 4%.
Gladys Huber, the "fake Democrat" - a sham candidate put up by Republicans to complicate the primary process - got less than 1%.
The Barrett win sets up a rematch of the 2010 governor's race in which Walker won by five percentage points.