May 22, 2012

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Walker raises $13 million

April 30, 2012 By

Governor Scott Walker heads into a recall election with a massive war chest backing him up. During the most recent reporting period running from mid-January through last week, Governor Walker raised $13 million to help campaign against efforts to remove him from office.

Walker received 125,926 contributions, with about 76-percent of those for $50 or less. Since January of last year, Walker has raised $25 million and the campaign says it finished the quarter with $4.8 million cash on hand.

Campaign spokeswoman Ciara Matthews says the totals show the strong grassroots support for Governor Walker’s bold reforms and plans to move Wisconsin forward.

The state Democratic Party referred to the totals as “13 million pieces of silver” that show the governor can raise “vast piles of cash to obscure his dismal record.” DPW Chairman Mike Tate argues “money does not vote. The people vote. And it is the people of Wisconsin who will win victory over Scott Walker on June 5th.”

Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch reported raising $540,000 during the same period and had $424,000 cash on hand.

As of 5 p.m. Monday, two of the Democratic candidates for governor had filed their reports. Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk raised $977,059 and Secretary of State Doug La Follette reported contributions of $118,087. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and state Senator Kathleen Vinehout have until midnight to file their reports.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m. – Mayor Barrett reported raising $830,000 during the recent fundraising period, with more than $750,000 of that total coming since he announced his candidacy 25 days ago.

UPDATE – Senator Kathleen Vinehout filed a report Monday showing she raised $44,000 during the recent fundraising period.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Appeals court keeps hold on Voter ID law

April 26, 2012 By

A state appeals court has denied a second request to lift an injunction blocking Wisconsin’s Voter ID law. The Fourth District Court of Appeals on Thursday said it will not lift a permanent injunction stopping Wisconsin’s Voter ID law from being enforced. The court also noted that there’s no realistic possibility that a decision on the appeal will be made before the June 5th recall election.

A Dane County Judge issued the permanent injunction in a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters. The League argues the law is unconstitutional because it creates a new class of people who are not allowed to vote — those who lack a state-issued photo ID.

The decision comes just a day after the Second District Court of Appeals declined to lift a temporary injunction in a separate lawsuit. That case is currently awaiting a final decision at the circuit court level.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Featured Story, News

Appeals court rejects Voter ID case

April 25, 2012 By

The Second District Court of Appeals has denied a request to lift an injunction blocking Wisconsin’s Voter ID law from being enforced.

The temporary injunction was issued earlier this year by a Dane County judge as part of a lawsuit filed by the Milwaukee Chapter of the NAACP. The appeals court says it will not consider overturning the ruling because the lawsuit went to trial last week and a final decision is expected.

Testimony in the trial wrapped up last week and both sides are scheduled to file briefs by the end of June. The judge could issue a permanent injunction or rescind his earlier order. Either way, the decision is likely to be appealed again.

The injunction is one of two court actions currently blocking the law requiring voters to show a state-issued photo ID. In the other case, a request to overturn a permanent injunction is still awaiting a decision from the appeals court. The state Supreme Court rejected an earlier request from the Appellate Court to take up both appeals.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Featured Story, News

Protest candidates will appear on ballots (AUDIO)

April 17, 2012 By

GAB director Kevin Kennedy (Photo: WRN)

State election officials have voted to allow so-called “fake Democrats” to appear on the ballot in upcoming recall elections.

Republicans registered candidates to run as Democrats in each of the upcoming recalls against the governor, lieutenant governor, and four state senators. GOP officials have said the move ensures there will be primaries in each of the races and it gives incumbent Republicans more time to campaign.

Democrats challenged their inclusion on the ballot, with attorney Jeremy Levinson arguing the tactic amounts to election fraud. Levinson says the candidates knowingly filed false information with the Government Accountability Board indicating they are Democrats, even though they are clearly not members of the party.

AUDIO: Jeremy Levinson (:10)

Republican Party attorney Joe Olson countered that nomination papers are not about making an under oath declaring a party affiliation. He says Wisconsin’s open primary system allows candidates to run under whatever party they choose.

AUDIO: Joe Olson (:22)

The GAB on Tuesday rejected the challenge and certified the ballots for the upcoming recalls. Agency director Kevin Kennedy says there are no laws that actually prevent the use of place holder candidates. He also echoed concerns from the board that trying to evaluate the political intentions of any candidate would be a dangerous precedent to set.

AUDIO: Kevin Kennedy (:42)

Levinson says an exception should have been made in this case though, since Republicans have made their plans very clear from the beginning. He says they will consider challenging the decision in court before the May 8th primary date.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:01)

Filed Under: Elections, Featured Story, News

Candidates differ on collective bargaining (AUDIO)

April 12, 2012 By

The four Democrats challenging Governor Walker meet in Madison (Photo: WRN)

While they admit overturning a controversial bill that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public employees will be difficult, the four Democratic candidates hoping to challenge Governor Scott Walker in a recall election believe it can be done. However, each offered a different approach to accomplishing that goal during a forum in Madison Wednesday night hosted by the Dane County Democratic Party.

Former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk believes the best way to overturn Act 10 is to force the change into the next state budget. She says the budget is the only bill that needs to pass each session and it offers the best opportunity to force Republicans to address the issue. Falk says calling a special session or just introducing a bill on its own will not work, because Republicans will likely block consideration in the Assembly.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett believes it would be a dangerous idea to make the issue a requirement for passing a state budget. He notes that if lawmakers fail to pass a budget the previous plan from Walker and Republicans would remain in place until they can reach a deal. Barrett says that could be far worse for the state.

Barrett says he would introduce a bill and call a special session on the issue. If Democrats win control of the state Senate in the upcoming recalls, he argues some Assembly Republicans may rethink their position on Act 10 and many will “not be as brave as they may have been last spring.”

AUDIO: Candidates offer plans on collective bargaining (7:59)

Secretary of State Doug La Follette agrees full Democratic control of the Legislature will be needed to overturn Act 10 and pledged to work to put progressive candidates in office to shift the balance of power. However, he believes there are some things he could do as governor to lessen the impact of the law, such as having the Department of Administration and public employees work together on labor issues.

State Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) says she already has a bill to repeal the law ready to go, and she believes it can still be done even if Democrats can only win back control of the state Senate. She says the state also needs to cooperate with public employees to address the serious financial issues facing Wisconsin.

The candidates answered a series of questions from Dane County Democrats on issues ranging from their policies on clean energy to how they would go about restoring cuts to education. The four will face each other in a primary election coming up on May 8th, with the winner going on to face Governor Walker in the recall election on June 5th.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:16)

Filed Under: Elections, Featured Story, News Tagged With:
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