Wisconsin Recall Saga Continues on August 16th

Tuesday, August 16th, another installment in the Wisconsin recall saga will play out. This time  two Democrat senators are facing recall elections. In a nation struggling with a stark economic downgrade, outside groups have poured 25 million dollars into these recall elections. Think about that for a moment, twenty five million dollars spent on eight state level senate recall elections. Recall elections typically don’t make a ripple outside local media and cost considerably less that what  was splashed out by these organizations. This type of spending is usually reserved for national races with national media attention. But these weren’t typical recall elections. Rick Badger, executive director of the Wisconsin affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME),described the recall effort, “These elections are little proxies for what is going to happen for the rest of the country.” Christian Science Monitor reminds its readers of potential national implications of the recall elections:

But don’t underestimate the power of a symbol, he adds. Tuesday’s election carries political currency for Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee, and other states where high-stakes partisan fights erupted after Republican upsets in the state legislature, governor’s office, or both.

Roughly 25 million dollars flowed into last week recall elections which flipped two Senate seats to the Democrat isle. Democrats needed at least three seats in order to take control of the Senate via these recall elections. Falling short of this goal, next week’s recall election of two Democrats has the potential of completely erasing any perceived gains and nearly 25 million dollars would have been spent in vain by outside groups. After such an exorbitant layout of cash, it may leave these groups scrambling for funds during the Presidential election in 2012.

Curiously, there has been a near media blackout regarding the recall as the results were certified. MRC’s Brent Bozell compiled broadcast media coverage stats of post August 2 recall results; he reported ABC had no coverage, CBS devoted 1 minute and 55 seconds, and NBC 45 seconds of airtime. All the buzz surrounding the recall elections and results can found in the blogosphere. I’ve been covering elections in Wisconsin starting with the Klopp/Prosser election and have continued my coverage with the recall elections. With all the research I’ve put into these races, I consider myself an honorary Cheesehead.

For those new to the story, I’ve put together a brief summary of the two upcoming recall elections.

12th District – Kim Simac, founder of the Northwoods Patriots and owner of a riding club near Eagle River, will oppose 12 district Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover). This is the second time Senator Holperin has been recalled, the first in 1990 when he survived a recall election when he was a member of the State Assembly.  The 12th District of the Wisconsin Senate is located in north-eastern Wisconsin, and is composed of parts of Vilas, Oneida, Florence, Lincoln, Marinette, Langlade, Menominee, Oconto, Shawano and Forest Counties.  The district went for Walker in 2010 with 57.4% of the vote and word on the street is this election may be a GOP/Teaparty pickup.

22nd District – Jonathan Steitz, a corporate attorney with a firm based in Chicago, will oppose Senator Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) that same day. The 22nd district is composed of Kenosha and Racine counties in 2010 the district went for Governor Walker with 52.6% of the vote. I’m calling  race a toss up.

I’ll be covering the race on Twitter, Midnightblue, and G+. Check back Tuesday night after polls close for updates.

Posted on August 14, 2011  ::  Categories: Election, National  ::  Tags: Wisconsin
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