Waukesha County District Attorney Paul E. Bucher announced Tuesday he will run for State Attorney General in 2006 against incumbent Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager.
Bucher, the longest-serving district attorney Waukesha County has ever had, said Thursday he will run for office to “restore confidence and integrity” in the position of attorney general for Wisconsin.
“I think citizens … as well as the law enforcement community [have] been significantly shortchanged by the [current] attorney general,” Bucher said.
Coalition building is the most significant issue in both Waukesha County and the state, according to Bucher. Bucher said coalition building has been his best accomplishment as district attorney, including the development of several interventional and educational programs — especially those concerning children — which are being modeled throughout the state.
“I believe with my track record and longevity as law enforcer and prosecutor, I have the leadership skills to put [the department] back at the level it once was,” Bucher said.
The attorney general’s office could not comment on Bucher’s decision to run against Lautenschlager, who recently announced she would run for re-election in 2006. State department matters must be kept separate from political matters, a spokesperson said.
Bucher cited the “embarrassing escapade” of Lautenschlager’s drunk-driving incident last February as one reason why citizens of Wisconsin have been let down. Lautenschlager’s state-owned vehicle landed in a ditch, creating controversy over whether or not she was fit to stay in office.
Lautenschlager refused to take a blood test to determine her official blood-alcohol level, although a preliminary breathalyzer test showed 0.12 blood-alcohol content. The legal alcohol limit for driving a vehicle in Wisconsin is 0.08 BAC. After the incident, she issued a statement saying she had no intention of stepping down from office.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesman Seth Boffeli questioned whether Bucher would be an effective leader. Boffeli criticized Bucher’s past record, stating that his handling of convicted murderer Ted Oswald’s case was dissatisfactory.
Oswald was convicted of numerous felonies in 1994, including the murder of Waukesha County Police Capt. James Lutz, but his conviction was overturned in March 2003 due to juror bias.
Bucher received criticism from the appellate court during Oswald’s trial because of his apparent disregard for juror bias. A re-trial is scheduled for this May, more than 10 years after the incident occurred.
According to Boffeli, the U.S. Appeals Court blamed Bucher directly for mistakes leading to Oswald’s conviction.
“Somebody that has as many high-profile failures as Bucher would be more concerned about taking care of his own house than he would of getting a promotion,” Boffeli said.
Boffeli added it is too soon to determine whether Bucher has a good chance of succeeding Lautenschlager.
“He will have a lot of difficult questions to answer,” Boffeli said. “A lot of his failings as district attorney will be front and center in the debate.”
The next step is to raise a lot of money, Bucher said, adding he has covered much of the state in the past few days to give a “rough sketch” of his message for the state of Wisconsin.
“The response has been overwhelming; it has been a very humbling experience,” Bucher said.
So far no other candidates have come forward to announce a run for attorney general against Lautenschlager.
