Wisconsin’s proud political history got a black eye this fall when a string of political scandals popped up one after another.
Former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala (D-Madison), Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen (R-Waukesha) and Assembly Majority Leader Steve Foti (R-Oconomowoc) faced felony charges for allegedly using state offices and state employees for campaign work on state time in what came to be known as the caucus scandal.
Chvala faces up to 90 years in prison on 20 felony counts including extortion, misconduct in office and abuse of power. Chvala’s attorney’s moved to dismiss the charges, and a hearing is set for Jan. 27.
To add to the negative face of Wisconsin politics, voters elected the winners of one of the muddiest elections in state history Nov. 5.
Negative campaigning between Gov. Scott McCallum and Attorney General Jim Doyle in the election for governor and between U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin and Republican challenger Ron Greer further jaded voters.
In the last weeks of the election, McCallum ran television ads calling Doyle “crooked.” Doyle responded in kind with his own television ads. Both candidates expressed regret for the dirty campaigns.
“This battle has left scars on Wisconsin’s political landscape,” McCallum said in his concession speech.
“It is my hope the Democrats and Republicans can come together to make future elections more about the issues affecting the state and less about mudslinging,” Doyle said.
Meanwhile, Baldwin and Greer engaged in a debate at the University of Wisconsin’s Memorial Union Theater in front of a rowdy audience of students.
State Senator Robert Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) suggested in November that governor-elect Doyle should sell the governor’s mansion as a symbolic gesture in light of the state’s looming budget deficit.
Doyle and the newly elected, Republican-led state legislature have been optimistic about working across partisan lines to fix the state’s budget deficit without raising taxes and keeping political campaigning from being negative in the future.
