Politics & Government

Former Sen. Lehman to Challenge Wanggaard

Wanggaard is facing a recall; he beat Lehman for the seat in November 2010.

Former State Sen. John Lehman, of Racine, has announced he will challenge Sen. Van Wanggaard to retake the state senate seat he lost in November 2010.

Making the announcement at the Racine Public Library on Jan. 31, 2012, Lehman joked that he is 66-years-old, retired a year ago and wouldn't have considered running again -- but things have changed now that the GOP controls the House, Senate and Governor seats.

"In 2010, Mr. Wanggaard never once agreed to debate or answer questions about what he would do in Madison," Lehman said. "And, to my knowledge, Wanggaard has never once in his year in office appeared at a listening session or a public meeting where the critical citizen could ask questions."

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Wanggaard defeated Lehman in November 2010, ousting the incumbent senator from his seat. Wanggaard, a Republican, is now facing a recall election, after organizers collected more than 24,000 signatures to try to remove him from office after only one year.

Lehman criticized the state GOP, and Wanggaard, for making massive cuts in public school and university spending, and how they "have done nothing about jobs and mislead Wisconsin about the power of state government to effect the economy."

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Wanggaard has already issued a response to the news that he will again face Lehman in an election:

"Voters are going to have a clear choice. Do they want to go back to the Jim Doyle and John Lehman days of billion dollar budget deficits, lost jobs and skyrocketing taxes, or do they want balanced budgets, lower taxes and a Wisconsin that continues to move forward towards job creation, fiscal responsibility and common sense?"

Lehman is not the only Democrat announcing candidacy for a Senate recall today. The Wisconsin Democrats just announced that former Rep. Kristen Dexter and Rep. Donna Seidel would take on other recalled senators.

The Democratic Party said it is "essential to wrest control of at least one of the bodies that has shamefully made Wisconsin a leader in jobs loss, cuts to education and health care, and political division," and called the "strong recall slate" a "harbinger of victory."


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