An effort to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker from office will get underway next month. United Wisconsin says it will officially begin the petition drive to recall Walker on November 15th, giving the group until January 17th to collect the signatures it needs to trigger an election.
Co-chair Ryan Lawler says they will have 60 days to collect over 540,000 signatures required by law. Although, he says they plan to aim much higher with a target of nearly 700,000 signatures. He admits that will be a difficult task, but they plan to work with several grassroots organizations, labor groups, and the state Democratic Party to help keep the campaign going.
Fellow co-chair Kevin Straka says there are many reasons to move ahead with the recall beyond the collective bargaining battle that unfolded at the Capitol earlier this year, which already resulted in recall campaigns over the summer against nine members of the state Senate. Straka says health care and education cuts, along with controversial Voter ID legislation, are also strong motivators behind the effort to recall Walker.
United Wisconsin says it remains unclear whether Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch will be included in the recall as well. The Government Accountability Board is currently awaiting an opinion from the attorney general on that issue. Once that’s in, Lawler says stake holders in the recall effort will decide if Kleefisch will be included.
The state Republican Party says Governor Walker has come through on his commitment to eliminate a $3.6-billion-dollar budget deficit and to cut local government and school district costs. An RPW spokeswoman says they welcome a comparison between Walker’s positive results and the failed policies of the past favored by recall supporters.
AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports 1:08