Hansen victory was sweet, but stay focused, folks
Next State Recall Elections
Will Not be so Easy
Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2011
The recall elections targeting Wisconsin lawmakers amid the bitter fallout from the state's new collective bargaining law began in lackluster fashion with a Democratic senator easily keeping his seat. But the other eight races may not be so easy, and the stakes are high.
If Democrats win five of those August races, they'll retake control of the Wisconsin Senate and gain key momentum in their efforts to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker next year.
The recall elections stem from the controversial law Walker pushed earlier this year that strips most public workers of their collective bargaining rights. The legislative fight over his plan attracted national attention _ and tens of thousands of protesters to the Wisconsin Capitol.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Dave Hansen defeated Republican recall organizer David VanderLeest during the first of those elections with 66 percent of the vote. But unlike VanderLeest, who raised only $2,000 compared to Hansen's $318,000, candidates challenging the other two Democrats and six Republicans facing recalls have far more money and party support.
"We did what we had to do," said Hansen, whose 30th District covers much of Wisconsin's northeastern corner. "The momentum has started."
The Republican senators facing recalls were targeted for supporting Walker's proposal, which eventually passed the GOP-controlled Legislature and survived a court challenge. Hansen and the other two Democratic senators were targeted because they and their 11 Democratic colleagues fled Wisconsin for three weeks to stall a vote on the measure.
The state Democratic Party trumpeted Hansen's win as a defeat for Walker's agenda. State Republicans countered by congratulating the winners of the two GOP primaries Tuesday but didn't mention the Hansen race.
The state Republican Party has hinted that it might dip into its own cash reserves to help candidates who emerge from the primaries. The party had $479,000 in the bank as of June 30, more than double the $193,000 reported by the Democrats.
VanderLeest was vulnerable not only because of Hansen's major cash advantage, but because of a criminal record that included convictions in 2006 on two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct …
(Authorized and paid for by Mark L. Taylor, Genoa, WI., and not a campaign committee.)
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