A western Wisconsin Congressman won reelection to his eighth term on Tuesday, but the battle with his challenger may not be over. Democrat Ron Kind earned a narrow victory over Republican state Senator Dan Kapanke on Tuesday. The race turned nasty in the final weeks, as Kapanke supporters launched an old fashioned “October surprise,” claiming Kind forced doctors to pay to meet with him. Kapanke says he wasn’t behind the claims, but his campaign issued press releases detailing the charges.
Kind says the allegations are completely false and represented a “Hail Mary.” Now, the La Croose congressman says he is considering possible legal action. Kind says he’s glad voters saw through the ploy. On a night when other Democrats were dropping like flies, Kind carried 16 of the 19 counties in his district.
AUDIO: Kind refutes allegations (:30)
Kind’s victory Tuesday was by the smallest margin of any of his races in the 3rd Congressional District, but he’s still calling it “a solid win.” What happened to Democrats on Tuesday? Kind says it was all because of the economy. And now, Kind says Republicans will have to prove that they want to work with President Obama.
AUDIO: Kind on compromise (:45)
Kind says if Republicans want to make permanent the Bush Administration tax cuts for people making more than $250,000 a year, they must show the American people where they will cut spending to reduce the estimated $800-million impact on the federal budget. Kind, now the senior Democrat in Wisconsin’s House delegation, doubts Republicans will be successful in repealing the federal health care reform plan enacted just last year.
Paul Knoff, WCCN, Jeff Peterson, WIXK