After announcing the recall petition effort against Gov. Scott Walker will start Nov. 15, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has begun fundraising, and already possibilities for a candidate to replace the governor have begun to circulate.
As of press time early this morning, the party had raised nearly $100,000 toward the recall effort. A Democratic Party statement said the party expects Walker will be able to raise $70 million in campaign donations from big business contributors such as the Koch brothers.
Several prominent Democrats in the state are rumored to be considering opposing Walker in a recall election, including state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, R-Middleton, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Based on recall law, volunteers will have 60 days to collect 540,206 signatures to set off a recall election against Walker.
Democrats could not begin the recall efforts against Walker until now because he had not been in office long enough.
“State law says that petition efforts cannot begin until one year after a person has been elected to office. That would be early November 2011,” University of Wisconsin political science professor Barry Burden said in an email to The Badger Herald. “Last night, the Democrats announced that the petition drive will begin Nov. 15, [which is] almost the earliest possible date.”
Burden said he expects both the county and municipal governments will be charged for administering the elections. He also said the massive campaign spending that will likely occur will financially benefit newspapers, radio stations and television stations as a result of political advertising.
The last time a statewide recall occurred was more than 20 years ago, Burden said. Even then, the recall dealt with a policy issue and not a person in office.
“The state has not seen anything like this in a long time, if ever,” Burden said.
According to Burden, Walker’s approval ratings are currently middling. He said the public is currently sharply divided, with more than half of the population appearing to disapprove of his performance so far in office.
“The keys to the election will be who runs against him and how well each side does at turning out its supporters,” Burden said.
In a statement, Republican Party of Wisconsin Executive Director Stephen Thompson said Walker’s questionable poll numbers have not affected his goal to create more jobs in the state.
“The governor is squarely focused on moving our state’s [economy] forward and helping to create 250,000 private sector jobs,” Thompson said in the statement. “Since elected in January, he’s come through on his commitment to helping middle-class families by eliminating a $3.6 billion budget deficit, freezing property taxes, and encouraging businesses to bring jobs to our state.”
In a statement, public employee union AFT-Wisconsin President Bryan Kennedy said the union is in support of the recall effort.
Kennedy said a majority of Wisconsinites disapprove of the collective bargaining reforms made by Walker, and he believes his decision to enforce them will lead to his removal from office.
“From day one of his administration, Scott Walker has given the citizens of Wisconsin a thousand reasons to support his recall. Dishonest campaigning, extreme policies, and stubbornly refusing to negotiate are not the Wisconsin way,” Kennedy said in the statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
