Wisconsin Senate Recall-a-palooza: 2012 Edition

[Wiz in Wis]

Darling is next.

I have to agree. The open house at the Recall Darling Headquarters last night had well over 150 people there. The place was shoulder to shoulder packed.

[Wiz in Wis]

So how does this work on the ballot? Is there just a new election that the incumbent can run in? A new election that is valid only if a simultaneous recall question is approved?

In Wisconsin, once the petitions are certified, the recall has occurred. The subsequent election is like any other general election, unless more than one member of the out-party decides to run, then there is a primary and 8 weeks later, a general election.

[Wiz in Wis]

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.

[Wiz in Wis]

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.

[Wiz in Wis]

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

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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?

[Wiz in Wis]

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

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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.

[Wiz in Wis]

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.

[Wiz in Wis]

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.

[Wiz in Wis]

Another fake Democrat, Gladys Huber is running in Darling's district.

I don't know how Darling or the state GOP think this will help. I mean, is an extra few weeks worth the negative press and appearance of dirty politics?

[Wiz in Wis]

Tommy Thompson spilled the beans on an internal poll that had Harsdorf ahead by 2 points, 49-47.

Wowza.

1) Ol TT can be counted on to be an idiot... good to see consistency

2) if the poll is reasonable, and accurate, then the Dems might pick up 5 or 6... Harsdorf is pretty well liked up there, compared to Hopper, Darling and Kapanke.