National Groups Converge on Racine County Saturday for Final Recall Battle

Wisconsin has become ground zero for the battle between the conservative and liberal movements at the state and national level, and several key political groups are making their way to Racine County to back up the proverbial troops.

But the rallies scheduled for Racine and Caledonia seem to be the political front line and may even be a foundation for the battle that wins the war, Republicans and Democrats say.

According to a story in the Wisconsin State Journal, of all the recall elections happening on Tuesday for governor, lieutenant governor and four state Senate seats, the closest race is in the 21st District, where Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) faces John Lehman (D-Racine).

"The Wanggaard-Lehman race is likely going to be the seat that decides the majority, at least for the next few months," Dan Romportl, executive director of the Committee to Elect a Republican Senate, told the State Journal. "That district is a true '50/50' district and has a long track record of flipping between parties for control of the Senate seat."

This is why officials from both parties consider these rallies on Saturday the last big push before the Tuesday's recall election.

The Racine Tea Party rally will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at Gorney Park, 8201 Nicholson Road in Caledonia. The Democratic Party rally will be held at noon on Saturday at the Racine Labor Center, 2100 Layard Ave., in Racine.

Officials with the national Tea Party Express and Pennsylvania Tea Party Activist and FOX News Contributor Jenn Stefano, will be at the Caledonia rally and Ed Schultz, of MSNBC’s The Ed Schultz Show, will be at the Racine rally.

Out-of state union members from Ohio, New York and Colorado with the Service Employees International Union and National Education Association have been out canvassing for the Democrats, and a group called American Majority Action have been working with local tea party groups in doing surveys and some candidate advocacy.

Brad Wojciechowski, spokesman for the State Senate Democratic Committee, said the rally would focus on energizing their members to continue making phone calls and knocking on doors.

"Racine County has been a swing district in the past and Racine is a very engaged community," Wojciechowski said. "The Democrats have a strong momentum after the Republicans over reached on key issues. This district has also been very moderate, and we’ve seen from the Republican side a very extreme agenda. Their divide and conquer strategy is obviously not what Racine County is all about, the citizens look after each other and they pull each other up when they are in need."

To bolster their support for Republican candidates, the Racine Tea Party so that it could raise campaign funds and endorse candidates.

A newly unveiled Tea Party Express phone bank bus will be parked outside Gorney Park during the rally, calling voters in Wisconsin. But, the national Tea Party Express phone bank bus isn't part of the rally and isn't formally affiliated with the Racine TEA Party.

Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for the national Tea Party Express, said this the first time the phone bank bus is being used.

“It’s a pretty neat concept because we’re using the bus as a campaign headquarters,” Budowich said. “We’re asking volunteers from the local tea party groups to make the calls. It’s the first time it's been used. It’s a small little bus and people are in crammed quarters, but it’s a motivational thing to hear others make those calls.”

Phone bank workers will focus on drawing a contrast between the health of the economy in Wisconsin, which has an unemployment rate of 6.7 percent, and the health of the economy at the national level, which has an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent. They’ll also draw attention to the influence of Act 10, which stripped public unions of their ability to collectively bargain and required employees to pay more towards their health insurance premiums and pensions, Budowich said.

“We have one issue and that’s to reduce the size, cost and obtrusiveness of the federal government,” Budowich said. “We’ve seen that happening in Wisconsin and we haven’t seen that in Washington D.C. That’s why this is key to the national race for Tea Party. We’re saying what’s the difference there between the national and state level? It seems like from our view that Walker’s reforms are working well, Obama’s are failing.”

The tour will also include stops in Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

The Americans for Prosperity bus will also be parked outside of the park during the rally. WEAC, a teachers' union, filed a complaint with the Government Accountability Board.

"The tour is a form of campaign activity in support of Governor Walker, yet Americans for Prosperity has not registered with GAB as required for financial disbursements related to political purposes," stated Christina Brey, WEAC's media relations board.

AFP State Director Luke Hilgemann issued the following statement: “This bus tour is not about politics, it is about the facts and it is about the policies that have been moving Wisconsin forward.  Instead of engaging us on the facts, our opponents are more interested in filing complaints and calling us names.  They can’t argue with a $3.6 billion deficit that was turned into a $154 million surplus, they can’t argue with property taxes being lowered for the first time in 12 years and they can’t argue with $1 billion in savings.”

*This version clarified that the Racine TEA Party is not affiliate with the national Tea Party Express, and includes reaction from AFP.