It’s apparently decision time this weekend for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Does he or doesn’t he? UW political scientist David Canon expects Barrett to announce he is going to run for governor. “My gut feeling is that he’s going to jump in,” said Canon. “I think that had he definitely decided on not running, we would have known by now. At least, I think we can take this delay as being an indication that he is very seriously considering running.”
Barrett denied speaking with President Barack Obama about the governor’s race during the president’s Wisconsin visit last week. Canon isn’t sure about that. “I think he got a few words in, to try to convince Tom Barrett to run.”
Reportedly, Barrett’s team has been shopping around for a campaign manager. Barrett is expected to announce a decision this weekend. Wisconsin Democrats have been without a candidate since Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton withdrew from the race last month, and party leaders have been urging Barrett to enter the race. “Run, Tom, run,” said state Senate Majority Leader, Senator Russ Decker, on Thursday. Canon says there’s a lot of pressure from fellow Democrats for Barrett to announce his candidacy.
WIBA’s John Colbert submitted this report
