Wisconsin Senate Recall-a-palooza: 2012 Edition

[Kevinstat]

Also, can Independent candidates run in recall elections.  I would assume they could (perhaps with a higher petition requirement as they don't have to face a possible primary and could get signatures from any registered voter in the district), and that they would advance automatically to the general election.  Has there been any talk (or was there at some point in this "Recall-a-palooza" serious speculation about an Independent candidate running for any of these seats.  Wisconsin does not have runoff elections (following either the primary or general election) for state and federal offices, does it?  And there wouldn't be a majority requirement in a primary or general recall election either, right?

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Yes to both of your questions. It's basically treated just like a special election. It's not like the California recall where there was a yes/no question then an open ballot. However, I don't think there have been any independents talking about running.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Election set for Hopper, Kapanke, and Olson: July 12. Apparently this election becomes a primary if there's more than one opposing candidate, then the general would be on August 9. Confusing.

Another Republican joins the clown car in Hansen's district, the recall organizer. That makes three Republicans running there.

[So the Heroes Fall]

In theory couldn't the Republicans get joke candidates to run in the primary in their incumbents' seats to delay the election, and allow them to shove through redistricting before possibly losing the Senate? Then again it might not be late enough, isn't the data finalized in September that needs to be done before redistricting?

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Redistricting is not supposed to be possible until the fall, though the Republicans have been trying to figure out a way to get around it.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Mary Scray drops out of the Hansen recall election.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Recalls against Cowles, Darling, and Harsdorf approved, but it's vague as to when the elections will be.

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

Given that it appears likely that the GAB will push back the elections by a week, who does that help? I could see the GOP gaining some strength from being further removed from this February's brewhaha, but at the same time, some of the lesser known Dem challengers could benefit from another week of campaigning.

[Landslide Lyndon]

According to Dem internals, Hopper is in even worse shape than Kapanke.

http://wirecall.blogspot.com/2011/05/democrats-sure-in-18th.html

The SSDC is so sure about this that they've not yet committed full resources to this race. Originally, the plan was to have a full staff of 8 set up in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, but so far only 3 have been committed.

I'm also told that resources have been shifted to the Luther Olsen recall, in a rural district that stretches from Baraboo all the way up to the northern part of the area just west of Lake Winnebago. The party sees that they have a seriously strong candidate in Fred Clark, a relative newcomer to state politics who was elected in 2008 and has a great rapport with his district, strong enough that he was able to survive a strong challenge as a first-term incumbent in the wave that came last fall.

The 4 GOP Senators that the Dems see as the best opportunities for recalls are, in order: Hopper, Kapanke, Darling, and Olsen. Personally, I think they have a good chance at Sheila Harsdorf as well.

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

According to Dem internals, Hopper is in even worse shape than Kapanke.

http://wirecall.blogspot.com/2011/05/democrats-sure-in-18th.html

The SSDC is so sure about this that they've not yet committed full resources to this race. Originally, the plan was to have a full staff of 8 set up in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, but so far only 3 have been committed.

I'm also told that resources have been shifted to the Luther Olsen recall, in a rural district that stretches from Baraboo all the way up to the northern part of the area just west of Lake Winnebago. The party sees that they have a seriously strong candidate in Fred Clark, a relative newcomer to state politics who was elected in 2008 and has a great rapport with his district, strong enough that he was able to survive a strong challenge as a first-term incumbent in the wave that came last fall.

The 4 GOP Senators that the Dems see as the best opportunities for recalls are, in order: Hopper, Kapanke, Darling, and Olsen. Personally, I think they have a good chance at Sheila Harsdorf as well.

I would switch Olsen and Darling, Alberta has some wickedly conservative parts to her district that Olsen doesn't. I also think that Harsdorf and Cowles are facing pretty strong challengers who should be well funded, so upsets here are not unlikely.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Can't say I'm surprised at this, it's an obvious idea.

La Crosse County Republicans discussed running a spoiler candidate against Democrat Jennifer Shilling in an effort to delay the recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, according to a secret recording of the party's general membership meeting last week.

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

Can't say I'm surprised at this, it's an obvious idea.

La Crosse County Republicans discussed running a spoiler candidate against Democrat Jennifer Shilling in an effort to delay the recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, according to a secret recording of the party's general membership meeting last week.

What's funny is that there are really no other top tier democrats in that Senate district, Shilling is really about it (or was until Doyle won the special election)... Who would they have drafted that could even get the signatures to get on the ballot?

[Badger]

Can't say I'm surprised at this, it's an obvious idea.

La Crosse County Republicans discussed running a spoiler candidate against Democrat Jennifer Shilling in an effort to delay the recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, according to a secret recording of the party's general membership meeting last week.

What's funny is that there are really no other top tier democrats in that Senate district, Shilling is really about it (or was until Doyle won the special election)... Who would they have drafted that could even get the signatures to get on the ballot?

Fred the crazy right wing milkman, who is still a registered Democrat despite being in the John Birch Society.

Seriously, this isn't a game to get a formidable primary opponent to Schilling, but just to buy time by sticking someone---ANYone---on the ballot to force a primary.

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

Can't say I'm surprised at this, it's an obvious idea.

La Crosse County Republicans discussed running a spoiler candidate against Democrat Jennifer Shilling in an effort to delay the recall election of Sen. Dan Kapanke, according to a secret recording of the party's general membership meeting last week.

What's funny is that there are really no other top tier democrats in that Senate district, Shilling is really about it (or was until Doyle won the special election)... Who would they have drafted that could even get the signatures to get on the ballot?

Fred the crazy right wing milkman, who is still a registered Democrat despite being in the John Birch Society.

Seriously, this isn't a game to get a formidable primary opponent to Schilling, but just to buy time by sticking someone---ANYone---on the ballot to force a primary.

True... but then, the scandal associated with a clearly bullsh*t primary would certainly backfire. I don't understand the strategy... then again, I don't understand most things Republicans do...


especially in Minneapolis airports.

[Invisible Obama]

I read that they want to buy more time to allow the GOP Senators to regain ground, but I don't think tricks will do anything but draw more ire.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/wis-gopers-seeking-fake-dem-candidates-to-disrupt-in-state-senate-recalls.php

In letters obtained by No Quarter, local Republican Party officials are encouraging their GOP colleagues to collect enough signatures to get a fake Democratic candidate on the ballot in each of two upcoming recall elections.

The spoiler Democrats, who are identified by name in the letters, would run in the Democratic primaries for the seats now held by Republican Sens. Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon.

Both of the fake Democrats have a history of giving almost exclusively to major Republicans.

"We need to make sure Democrat challengers face primaries to allow our Republicans time to mount a campaign," Dan Feyen, chairman of the 6th Congressional District Republican Party, wrote in the letter to "fellow conservatives" on Friday.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Fake Democrat running in Harsdorf's district. If they're going to do this, maybe they should be a little more subtle, i.e. not going with people who have run as a Republican before.

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

Fake Democrat running in Harsdorf's district. If they're going to do this, maybe they should be a little more subtle, i.e. not going with people who have run as a Republican before.

What's more confusing is that the state GOP is all but acknowledging that they are running these fakes to screw with voters... I mean, the hubris of this group is mind-boggling.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Fake Democrat running in Harsdorf's district. If they're going to do this, maybe they should be a little more subtle, i.e. not going with people who have run as a Republican before.

What's more confusing is that the state GOP is all but acknowledging that they are running these fakes to screw with voters... I mean, the hubris of this group is mind-boggling.

Is there any chance that these candidates will be denied ballot access because they are so obviously fake?

[Wiz from Wis in Mass]

Fake Democrat running in Harsdorf's district. If they're going to do this, maybe they should be a little more subtle, i.e. not going with people who have run as a Republican before.

What's more confusing is that the state GOP is all but acknowledging that they are running these fakes to screw with voters... I mean, the hubris of this group is mind-boggling.

Is there any chance that these candidates will be denied ballot access because they are so obviously fake?

Wisconsin doesn't require party registration, so I imagine that once they get the requisite signatures, they are on the ballot. Of course, now being on the ballot would generate at least 2 weeks of bad GOP press, since the news would inevitably remind voters about the fake primary every time the fake candidate was mentioned.

[Badger]

Sadly, I suspect voters will ignore such cheap shenanigans in the long run and the delay will in fact benefit GOP candidates so long as they themselves have no fingerprints whatsoever on the fake primary challengers.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Here they go again; a former member of the La Crosse County Republican Party's executive committee is running as a Democrat in Kapanke's district.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

Recalls of the three Democratic Senators are approved. All the Republican seats are apparently going to be up on July 12, but the Democratic seats are going to be up a week after, on July 19.

[Badger]

Recalls of the three Democratic Senators are approved. All the Republican seats are apparently going to be up on July 12, but the Democratic seats are going to be up a week after, on July 19.

WTF?

[Dan the Roman]

Recalls of the three Democratic Senators are approved. All the Republican seats are apparently going to be up on July 12, but the Democratic seats are going to be up a week after, on July 19.

WTF?

They were scared of appearing partisan by disqualifying only the Democratic petitions, despite their being evidence of clear fraud.

[JohnnyLongtorso]

The cavalcade of fake Democrats continues. A former Republican member of the assembly is running in Cowles' district.