Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, announced her run for governor Wednesday in a potential recall election against Gov. Scott Walker, becoming the second Democratic candidate to do so.
“We need a fresh start and a new attitude in Wisconsin politics and government. I have the experience and temperament necessary to lead,” Vinehout said in a statement.
Vinehout said in the statement she has fought for affordable health insurance and fair funding of schools. She said while serving on the Joint Committee on Audit, she uncovered problems with accountability in state programs.
“We need a governor who will lead with self-restraint, … who will respect Wisconsin’s traditions of good government; who supports and takes pride in our schools; who values the skills workers bring to their jobs,” Vinehout.
Vinehout has become the second candidate to announce for the Democratic nomination for governor, joining former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
Falk’s spokesperson Scot Ross said in an email to The Badger Herald Falk supports the right of other candidates to run.
“Democrats will have the final say on who can best put together the operation and who has the experience and provide the vision needed to go head to head with the extreme right-wing Walker agenda,” Ross said.
In response to Vinehout’s candidacy announcement, Walker’s campaign spokesperson Tom Evenson said in an email to The Badger Herald Vinehout has shown Wisconsinites she avoids making tough decisions when she left the state during the spring protests.
“Governor Walker is ready to contrast his positive record with the Democrats’ failed policies of the past and looks forward to hearing from Democrats like Kathleen Vinehout on how they would have balanced a $3.6 billion budget deficit,” Evenson said.
In an election against well-known politicians like Walker, name recognition may become a problem for Vinehout, University of Wisconsin political science Barry Burden said in an email. He said Vinehout may not be known in major metro areas like Madison and Milwaukee.
UW political science professor John Coleman said a lack of name recognition could be beneficial to Vinehout.
“The upside of that situation is that she doesn’t have to erase any negative impressions of her, so she starts as more of a blank slate for most potential voters,” Coleman said in an email. “The downside is that getting known around the state takes resources and sufficient organization, and those can take time to materialize when there are better known candidates in the field.”
Coleman said the main issue for the recall election would center around Wisconsin’s budget and economy. He said with Wisconsin’s budget deficit approaching $4 billion, changes to fiscal policies may be a necessary campaign platform for the successful candidate.
Organizations are already endorsing candidates for the Democratic nomination. In a statement following Vinehout’s announcement, Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell endorsed Falk for governor.
“There have been many strong advocates for Wisconsin families who have stepped forward as potential candidates, but we believe in the democratic process guided by the issues our members care deeply about, and that’s what this recommendation represents,” Bell said in a statement.
