State Senate Democrats are calling for the removal of elections commissioner Bob Spindell, after revelations that Spindell bragged on Republican efforts to suppress Black and Hispanic voter turnout in Milwaukee last November.
Senator LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) spoke about that during a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday. “He also said their presence on Black talk radio and negative Black radio commercials helped to decrease voter turnout.”
LIVE at 10 AM 🔴 https://t.co/EkMlUHFtSA#Wisconsin Senate Democrats Call for removal of @WI_Elections Commissioner @BobSpindell
Speakers: @SenKeldaRoys, @StateSenLaTonya, @SenSpreitzer, @VotingIsLocal
More info: https://t.co/igjqQRA1PE#wisconsineye #wipolitics #elections pic.twitter.com/bQsQNCD9Qm— WisconsinEye (@WisconsinEye) January 18, 2023
Senator Kelda Roys (D-Madison) said they want Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove Spindell from the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
“I think it’s important for the press to try to get him on the record. I mean these comments have been out here since last week, and he did appoint Spindell.”
LeMahieu’s office did not have a response to share. Spindell, who has brushed off calls to resign, defended his remarks when speaking with WISN’s Matt Smith on Thursday. He said he “was proud that finally the Republican Party of Wisconsin and the Republican National Committee after all these years and pushing hard decided to finally put in the necessary resources to the City of Milwaukee.”
Bob Spindell says he won’t resign from Wisconsin Elections Commission. Dems are calling on him to be removed after he wrote GOP should be ‘especially proud’ of lower voter turnout in Milwaukee in 2022 in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods pic.twitter.com/cKbx9Of3T2
— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) January 19, 2023
Responding to accusations of racism from Democrats, he said “I think they should take a look at my past experience over the many years in the black community. And I’ve said many times in open meetings that I will not stand for any suppression of the vote, especially in the black and Hispanic communities. Especially in Milwaukee.”