Thursday, January 17, 2013
State Democrats are using the techniques learned during President Barack Obama's successful run for a second term in hopes of retaking Madison in 2014.
Touting it as a calculated risk they think will pay off big in 2014, state Democrats are putting "boots on the ground" now to start reaching out to voters in an effort to take back the Capitol building. In a conference call with reporters Thursday, Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Mike Tate, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) and State Minority Leader Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) unveiled plans of attack to swing the 2014 gubernatorial and state representative races back to blue. In a nutshell, Dems are looking at establishing a dynamic ground game in all 72 counties because party leaders recognize that they'll need a strong presence outside the major Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Dane Counties. "We know this is a …
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Wisconsin delegation is looking forward to nominating the nation's first African American president for a second term. They say the choice between another four years with Barack Obama and the Romney/Ryan ticket will be a stark one for voters this fall
When the Democratic National Convention starts Tuesday in Charlotte, NC, Democrats will have their chance to tell their story to the country and explain why they think President Barack Obama is still the best choice come November. The convention opens only five days after the Republican National Convention closed in Tampa, FL, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leading the Republican ticket and Wisconsin U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate. With Ryan on the ballot for two offices — he's also running to retain his seat to represent the 1st Congressional District — and Gov. Scott Walker a featured speaker, the Republican convention perhaps should have been held at Lambeau Field. Despite not having a Cheesehead on the ticket, the …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Concerned about the GOP senate candidates' interests, the Democratic party chairman called on Hovde, Thompson and Neumann Wednesday morning to release their tax returns.
As the race for Wisconsin's U.S. senate seat heats up and candidates head to a forum in Milwaukee Wednesday, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin is calling for more transparency from the GOP candidates — namely, the party wants to see their tax returns. So far, only the Hovde campaign has told Patch that it will release any tax returns, confirming that documents from the last two years are forthcoming. During a conference call Wednesday morning, party Chairman Mike Tate praised Democratic candidate Tammy Baldwin for releasing 10 years' worth of returns. According to Tate, voters should know about the candidates' finances to see if they "stand to benefit" from tax cuts for the wealthy. "As voters go to the polls in November, they deserve to …
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Here are the latest updates from the campaign trail in the race to be the next U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
Leading up to the Aug. 14 primary, Patch will regularly bring you the latest news from the campaigns for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate seat in play this election cycle. Wisconsin GOP, Thompson Blast Baldwin on New Medicare Ad Democratic Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin's latest ad, which rails against cuts to Medicare and Social Security, is drawing cries of dishonesty from Republicans. In the ad, titled "Rock," Baldwin says her upbringing by her grandparents taught her the value of those programs for the elderly. "When people in Washington talk about slashing Medicare benefits instead of asking millionaires to pay their fair share, I know it's wrong," Bladwin says in the ad. Republicans were quick to respond. After the ad was released Monday, the…
Friday, April 13, 2012
Could Wisconsin politics get any weirder? Wait, don't answer that question. Now, we've got a Republican primary because Arthur Kohl-Riggs, a guy running as a "progressive Republican" has thrown his hat into the ring.
Arthur Kohl-Riggs, a scruffy-haired 23-year-old political activist who used to serve pizza at the Children’s Museum in Madison until a few weeks ago, says he is not a "fake Republican." But he’s not a traditional Republican, either. Kohl-Riggs is running against Gov. Scott Walker in the Republican primary after he collected and turned in more than 2,200 signatures to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board this week. If the GAB, which oversees elections in Wisconsin, votes to allow him on the ballot, Kohl-Riggs will be Walker's sole opponent in the May 8 primary. So, if he’s not a Democrat or traditional Republican, what political flag does Kohl-Riggs fly? He describes himself as a “progressive Republican,” following the political …
Friday, March 30, 2012
Residents of the 21st Senate District could be forced into voting during a primary if the Republican Party of Wisconsin runs what it's call a protest candidate to challenge former state Sen. John Lehman in primary.
Whether an independent candidate collects the necessary signatures to put his name on the ballot for the recall election in the 21st Senate District probably won't matter when it comes to a primary election. In a press release on the state party's website, Executive Director Stephan Thompson said the reason for running protest candidates is so elections line up on the same day across the state. The state Government Accountability Board has set the primaries for May 8 and the general election for June 5. In races where there is no primary, May 8 would serve as the general election. "The protest candidates will run as Democrats to guarantee that there is one clear date for the primary election and one clear date for the general election," …
Monday, March 12, 2012
Andrew Mielke, 28, filed candidate registration papers with the Government Accountability Board today, and that means a primary election will be held on May 8 against former Sen. John Lehman.
A Caledonia man has registered as a Democratic candidate in the 21st Senate District recall election, triggering a primary election. Andrew James Mielke filed campaign registration papers Friday with the GAB. He is running as a Democrat, but said he’s focusing on gaining support from independent voters. Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) currently holds the seat, but state Democrats collected enough signatures to prompt a recall election. In the primary election, Mielke will run against former Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine), who held the position prior to Wanggaard. The winner of the primary election would then move to a special election. While the dates aren’t definitive, the GAB is eyeing a June 5 general election date, with primaries on May 8…
Monday, February 27, 2012
Commercial says "Walkergate" is much like Watergate and puts images of Walker next to footage of Nixon and the infamous corruption scandal of the 1970s.
On the same day that the campaign of Gov. Scott Walker said it would not challenge the signatures on recall petitions filed with the state, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Monday released its first TV ad directed at the Republican governor. In the ad, which was scheduled to begin airing Monday night, Democrats compare the current John Doe investigation into Walker's aides with the Watergate scandal of the 1970s that resulted in the resignation of President Richard Nixon. The 30-second spot intermingles segments of newscasts from today with those from the Watergate era, including a couple with legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite. The ad ends with a scene from a 1973 Congressional hearing into Watergate in which former U.S. Sen. Howard …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Democrats file more than 1 million signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker, but no candidate or election date have been announced.
After two months of flexing their volunteers' political muscles on the streets, Wisconsin Democrats delivered a powerful first punch in the recall rumble against Gov. Scott Walker today when they filed more than 1 million signatures to recall the first-term Republican governor. Hundreds of recall supporters cheered in the street when Julie Wells, a coordinator of the recall effort in rural Jefferson County, threw up the cargo door of a U-Haul truck containing boxes of the signatures and congratulated the crowd for their two months of work gathering signatures all across the state. “Despite the millions of dollars Walker has raised and spent, we have overcome…We have proven that democracy is alive and kicking in the state of Wisconsin,” …
Friday, January 13, 2012
Groups are raising money and lining up thousands of volunteers to review signatures in the effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
On Tuesday, organizers of the effort to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker will submit stacks upon stacks of signed petitions to the state, a move that will set a 60-day time clock into motion as the signatures are counted and verified. Both the Republican and Democratic parties of Wisconsin have set up their own vetting and verification operations to ensure only valid signatures are counted. However, there’s a new guest joining the recall party, and they’ll be sure all their “I’s” are dotted and their “Teas” are crossed. Tea Party groups in Wisconsin and around the country have recruited nearly 10,000 volunteers from 49 states to scrutinize the signatures and verify that people who signed petitions are indeed who they say they are. On …
Mike Itzenhuiser
8:26 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Democrats had the freedom of choice when they voted, but they don't have a choice from the consequences of their decisions. more ›