How Scott Walker and Mary Burke have fared on the Truth-O-Meter

In Scott Walker’s third race for governor in four years, neither side has made a habit of settling for Half Trues.  

That’s the bottom line on PolitiFact Wisconsin’s Truth-O-Meter, where we’ve rated nearly 90 claims in the governor’s contest since late 2013.

Most statements have come down pretty clearly on the False or True side of the meter, in contrast to the 2012 recall election. In that race, won by Walker, nearly one third of claims we rated came down in the middle.

The current trend doesn’t surprise us given the high stakes in Walker’s neck-and-neck re-election bid against Democrat Mary Burke, who is backed by host of allies hoping to undermine the Republican incumbent’s national standing.

What did catch our eye was this: The number of claims judged True or Mostly True spiked notably this time around, as both sides made statistical claims to drive home their points.

Meanwhile, the proportion of claims landing on the False end (about 50 percent) over the last 11 months remained consistent with the 2012 race.

This week, with the Nov. 4, 2014 election fast approaching, we’ll be rounding up Truth-O-Meter claims from the candidates and others.

Today’s topic: Miscellaneous items.

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