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Our April High Five includes (surprise!) an election flavor

By James B. Nelson
May 9, 2016

April was such a busy month when it came to politics (Wisconsin’s  April 5 primary was just the start) that it took us some extra time to sort through our most-clicked items for the month.

Here’s a look at our April High 5:

1. Martha Laning, leader of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, changed her position on how she would cast her ballot as a superdelegate at the Democratic National Convention.

In November 2015, Laning said she would cast her superdelegate vote for the presidential candidate who won the Wisconsin primary.

But more recently, and again after the April 5 election, which was won by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Laning reversed that position and said she would vote for whoever is the party’s presumptive nominee — which at this stage is Hillary Clinton.

We rated that change a Full Flop.

2. A claim by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) who said “More people are struck by lightning than commit in-person voter fraud” by impersonation.

Pocan made the comment in advance of the Wisconsin primary, which was the first major test of the state’s new voter ID law.

Experts say that about 300 people are struck by lightning in the United States each year. But cases of voter fraud — at least those defined by someone impersonating another voter — are documented far less often. One expert said there were only about 30 such cases dating back to 2000.

We rated Pocan’s statement True.

3. An article that explored the disparity between Trump’s lead in the polls and his record on the Truth-O-Meter.

Trump has performed far worse on the meter compared with the other GOP candidates. Some 61 percent of Trump’s statements at the time had been rated either False or Pants on Fire.

4. Readers seeking more information about the Rebecca Bradley and JoAnne Kloppenburg, candidates for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, clicked on an article that summarized their performances on the Truth-O-Meter.

5. In an appearance in Green Bay, Trump stirred national headlines — and criticism from Democrats and Republicans — for his statement that a woman should be punished for having an abortion.

Trump’s campaign issued a follow-up statement saying that the candidate ment to say that if abortion were outlawed, he believed that doctors who performed abortions should be punished.

We explored his comments in depth with our In Context feature, which provides a deeper look at statements that receive widespread attention.

Our Sources

PolitiFact Wisconsin items as noted.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

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