Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Shorewood resident was told she couldn't collect recall petition signatures in the portico area of Whitefish Bay Village Hall, despite a memo from the village attorney stating otherwise.
Petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker have long been submitted to the state, but the practice of gathering those signatures left some unresolved issues within the village. A Shorewood resident said she had a disagreement with Whitefish Bay village employees and a police officer on Dec. 30 while trying to collect signatures by the entrance to Village Hall. Linea Sundstrom contended that she was on public property. Those employees, and one detective, claimed otherwise. When the detective told her that she could go to jail if the petition was signed while on village property, she moved to the sidewalk, which she said caused the petitions to be damaged by the rain. It turns out that Sundstrom was within her rights, and on Monday she asked …
The private investigator who gained fame for his work on the Lawrencia Bembenek case has thrown his hat in the ring for the state's second-in-command.
Should the recall effort against Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch succeed, Ira Robins, a 70-year-old private investigator from Milwaukee, told the Associated Press he will run as a Democrat against her. Robins gained notariety when he was an investigator on behalf Lawrencia Bembenek, a former waitress accused of murdering her husband's ex-wife Christine Schultz in Milwaukee in the 1980s. He stated he would not accept campaign donations; instead, he plans to finance his entire race out of his own pocket, relying on social media and word of mouth to get his story out. Bembenek's story garnered widespread media attention when she escaped from prison in 1990, inspiring the book "Run Bambi Run." Among some of the goals stated on Robins' website …
Friday, November 18, 2011
United Wisconsin says about 50,000 signatures — just less than 10 percent of the 60-day goal — were collected in the first 48 hours.
With the recall effort against Gov. Scott Walker in full swing, organizers say they have already collected 50,000 petition signatures in the first 48 hours. United Wisconsin, a coalition of grassroots organizations throughout the state and the organization spearheading the recall effort, also claims 20,000 people have downloaded petitions from recall websites. Democrats say the surge of signatures sends a clear message that the state is taking a stand against Walker. "The enthusiasm is palpable," said Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Graeme Zielinski. "It shows the people are holding Governor Walker accountable, finally. It’s a cry of enough, from the people of Wisconsin. People are tired of the lies. This isn't hard to figure out. …
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Republicans say millions were spent unnecessarily on summer recall elections and they want to change state Constitution to require "just cause" for a recall effort.
Even with record unemployment and minimal job growth across the country, there is still one business that has demonstrated it is recession-proof: politics. The Wisconsin recall elections were a boon for statewide cash flow, with nearly $44 million in private funds pouring into the state for nine state Senate races. The Democrats and their supporters spent over $23.4 million for their efforts, with the GOP and conservative groups spent $20.5 million, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. By comparison, $19 million was spent on all of 99 state Assembly elections in November 2010. On top of the money raised in the recall, it cost municipalities another $2.1 million to hold the elections, print ballots and…
Sunday, August 14, 2011
No surprise: The legislative recall elections were the hot topic among bloggers this week.
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Sunday, August 14, 2011
Here's a look at what some of Wisconsin's top political bloggers have been writing about in the last week. Charlie Sykes, Sykes Writes On the results of the Aug. 9 state Senate recall election "We can endlessly debate the fairness and wisdom of Wisconsin's recall law. But here are some fascinating numbers: the two senators who lost Tuesday, received substantially more votes when they were first elected to a four-year term than their opponents received in the recall. "In other words, the recall allowed a smaller group of voters to negate the choice a much larger number of voters who cast ballots in a general election. In the case of Dan Kapanke, for example, 33,192 Tuesday votes were able to negate the votes of 45,154 voters who elected …
Monday, August 8, 2011
A recap of news and events surrounding the Alberta Darling and Sandy Pasch race for Wisconsin's 8th Senate District, and other recall races in the state.
8th District Race Now Called a 'Tossup' After handicapping the 8th Senate District race as "leaning" toward Republican Alberta Darling for most of the campaign, WisPolitics.com is now declaring the race a "tossup."The political website notes that Darling won by only 1,000 votes in 2008 and that the Democrats are making this race, and the 14th Senate District, a high priority. The last time the site handicapped the races, on July 15, it said Darling appeared to have the advantage over Pasch. On the Campaign Trail: Lieutenant Governor Joins Darling for Final Push On Saturday, with less than 72 hours remaining before the pivotal election, state Sen. Alberta Darling’s campaign offices were a hive of activity as volunteers staged a final push …
The fundamental differences between Republican incumbent and Democrat challenger have heated up the recall election and left few voters undecided heading into Tuesday.
The political cauldron in the state has been at a steady simmer for the past few months, but on Tuesday it will be brought to a full boil as voters go to the polls in six recall elections throughout Wisconsin. Republican Alberta Darling, of River Hills, will look to defend her 8th Senate District seat from Democratic challenger state Rep. Sandy Pasch, of Whitefish Bay. Related: On the campaign trail with Darling and Pasch With such clear-cut differences between the two candidates, voters in this election will decide whether to continue taking the state on the path it’s on, or correct course. “I truly think our state’s future, if it doesn’t change, is in serious harm,” Pasch said. “We have seen policies that have divided our state, policies…
Saturday, August 6, 2011
As Tuesday's recall elections near, nearly 300 people turn out for spirited Tea Party Express event in 8th Senate District.
During a spirited rally in a Ozaukee County park Saturday, Tea Party Express organizers implored hundreds of supporters to take the conservative movement to the polls Tuesday and support the six Republican senators being targeted in the high-profile recall elections. Under a brilliant blue sky in Thiensville Village Park, about 275 Tea Party supporters were galvanized by a half dozen speakers, patriotic music and flag waving during the hour-long event. "I am all jazzed up!" said Andrea Shea King, blogger and radio host, as the crowd roared. "Americans are here with you. We are supporting you and we are praying for you." Related: Check out archive of live blog from rally Most of the speakers focused on fiscal policy issues and public unions…
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Both Pasch and Darling have strongholds within district, but some communities draped in purple could be key to this election.
As Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. Sandy Pasch campaign with just days left before Tuesday's recall election, a few swing communities could be key to inching out a victory in the 8th Senate District race. Both Darling and Pasch have respective strongholds that historically have voted heavily Democratic or Republican. For example, there's little question that Darling, a Republican from River Hills, will have strong support in Menomonee Falls, Germantown and Mequon. And Pasch, a Democrat from Whitefish Bay, will likely carry Shorewood, Glendale and the small portion of Milwaukee that's in the 8th District. In those communities, the favored party candidate won with more than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent presidential, gubernatorial…
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
However, Republican incumbent has nearly twice as much money on hand heading into the final week of 8th Senate District recall campaign.
The campaign to recall Republican state Sen. Alberta Darling took an unexpected turn as challenger Sandy Pasch reported raising far more in July than her rival. Pasch, a Democrat from Whitefish Bay, still has far less money on hand, however, and overall has taken in less cash this year. Reports filed Monday night with the state Government Accountability Board show that Pasch raised $190,903 in July, compared to Darling's $165,155. To date, Darling has raised $1,123,574 to Pasch's $622,680, according to the reports. Pasch reports having $216,439 on hand compared to Darling's $401,382 as the campaign enters its final week. Despite trailing in overall money raised during the year, Pasch's campaign was upbeat about the latest numbers. "This is…
Bob McBride
10:16 pm on Monday, March 12, 2012
None offered, really. I still think it was overblown, but the fact that it escalated to the point it did was in part due to the lack of response you got from the folks you first contacted. more ›