Opponents of Governor Scott Walker are rolling out their first TV ad on the recall campaign. Rather than focusing on the collective bargaining debate that helped launched the effort, the spot from the Democratic Party of Wisconsin instead focuses on a current scandal with ties to the governor’s past.
The 30-second ad airing in television markets across the state compares the ongoing John Doe investigation tied to Walker’s time as Milwaukee County Executive to Watergate and President Nixon. It uses a mix of clips from news reports to slowly reveal the term “Walkergate,” which Democrats have been using to describe the probe into alleged criminal conduct in Walker’s administration as county executive.
Walker served in the position before he was elected governor. The investigation by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office has so far resulted in multiple charges against staff that worked under Walker, ranging from embezzlement to campaigning on county time. Walker has not been directly linked to any of the charges and has said he is fully cooperating with the investigation.
DPW chairman Mike Tate defended the decision to focus on the scandal instead of talking about the debate over collective bargaining. Tate says the investigation is an important issue that voters should be aware of, also noting that opponents of Walker have many reasons to want to recall him from office, such as the changes made to collective bargaining for public employees and cuts to education in the last state budget.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (:54)
