E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Mark Hirsch / Getty Images
Recall volunteers add to the stack of boxes containing signatures to recall Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday.
MADISON, Wis. -- Opponents of Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker submitted nearly twice as many signatures Tuesday as required to force a recall election, but still face the challenge of transforming public outrage over his moves against unions into actual votes to oust him from office.
If Walker is worried, he's not showing it: As the petitions were delivered to election officials, Walker was out of state raising money to defend himself and the agenda that has made him a national conservative hero.
The 1 million signatures that United Wisconsin, the coalition that spearheaded the effort along with the Democratic Party, said were collected far exceeds the 540,208 needed and amounts to 23 percent of the state's eligible voters.
Walker was elected in 2010 as part of a national Republican tide, and quickly angered unions and others with aggressive moves that included effectively ending collective bargaining rights for nearly all public workers.
Recall circulators in neon vests who were turning in the petitions Tuesday surrounded a U-Haul truck filled with boxes of documents. The group held hands and formed a line leading toward the office of the Government Accountability Board, as some protesters yelled anti-Walker chants. The boxes inside the office full of petitions targeting Walker were stacked five high and 11 rows deep.
Petitioners said they were submitting about 305,000 more signatures than were needed to trigger a recall election against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, and said they also exceeded the number needed to force recall elections of four Republican state senators, including Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.
Walker's supporters would have to successfully challenge about 46 percent of the signatures to stop a recall election, in which the governor would likely run against a yet-to-be-decided Democratic challenger.
"I don't know if it's insurmountable, but it would be extremely difficult," said Joshua Spivak, a recall expert and senior fellow at Wagner College in New York.
During the recall of California Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, petitioners also turned in almost double what was needed and only about 18 percent were tossed, Spivak said.
Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate said given the number of signatures collected, Walker shouldn't seek delays and instead let the vote proceed.
"Does anyone really honestly believe we're not going to have an election?" Tate said.
Spivak said he would expect strong voter turnout for a recall election against Walker, noting that in California turnout rose from 36 percent in the general election to 61 percent for the Davis recall.
"There's going to be so much focus on this, it is not going to be like a special election where turnout is suppressed," Spivak said.
'Stand with me'
Walker expressed confidence Tuesday that he will survive a recall and that voters will reward him for balancing a $3.6 billion budget shortfall without laying off state employees or raising taxes.
"I look forward to talking to the people of Wisconsin about my continued promises to control government spending, balance the budget, and hold the line on taxes," he said in a statement.
"Instead of going back to the days of billion-dollar budget deficits, double-digit tax increases and record job loss, I expect Wisconsin voters will stand with me and keep moving Wisconsin forward."
Republican Party Chairman Brad Courtney issued a statement denouncing what he called a baseless and expensive recall. An election is expected to cost at least $9 million.
The governor's supporters have been training volunteers how to vet signatures and they plan to create a database where names will be entered and verified. Walker has already successfully sued the state elections board to require it to do a more extensive review of the signatures than originally planned in order to catch duplicates and obviously fake names like Mickey Mouse.
The Government Accountability Board has said its review will take 60 days or more and it will go to court as soon as this week to seek more than the 31 days allowed under the law. Board director Kevin Kennedy said it was too early to know how long would be needed or if officials would stop the review once they determined enough were valid to certify an election.
Tate said he didn't expect a Walker recall election would happen before May. Walker has said he thinks it will be in June.
Recalls have become common in Wisconsin since the political tumult of 2011 that saw Walker and Republicans pass the collective bargaining changes, one of the country's most restrictive laws requiring photo identification at the polls, and a budget that included an $800 million cut to public schools.
The opposition started with massive protests and then grew into organized campaigns — first to recall state senators, then Walker himself. Last summer, six Republican state senators and three Democrats faced recall elections. Two Republicans lost, leaving the party with a one-vote majority in the Senate.
A recall against Walker couldn't officially be filed until after he had served a year in office, an anniversary reached earlier this month.
But Walker hasn't been waiting around to see what happens. He has been on the air nonstop, saying that while some of his decisions to balance the budget were difficult, the state is in a better financial position and will prosper in the long run.
The governor has been raising money at a furious clip. He was hosting a $2,500 per-person fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday and recently attended fundraisers in Texas, Kentucky and Tennessee. He is taking full advantage of both the conservative star persona he built as he put Wisconsin at the center of the national labor rights debate and a quirk in state law allowing those targeted for recall to ignore normal contribution limits until an election date is set.
As of mid-December, he had raised $5.1 million, with about half coming from out-of-state donors.
Democrats, who have no candidate raising money to challenge Walker, concede they will not be able to match him dollar for dollar. Instead, they are counting on the same type of energy that drove the protests and the petition drive to translate into the campaign.
Two prominent Democrats, former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and retiring U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, have repeatedly said they aren't interested. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who lost to Walker by 6 percentage points, issued a statement praising recall circulators but did not indicate whether he would enter the race.
Besides Davis, the only other successful recall of a governor in the nation's history was North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier in 1921.
Leave a Comment:
Look what unions did to our country! They've been obsolete for years so they did nothing but rip companies and governments off with outrageous demands. They drove Detroit into the toilet, moved industry to other countries and find that the government is the last raping ground...
White flight drove Detroit into the ground. Most GM run plants in Canada are still union.
you cant cheat if you have to show ID
Easily overcome. Ever seen a teenager with phony id get into a bar? C'mon!
You have no concept of history. The UAW only asked for and got some of the PUBLIC MONEY that the Big 3 received for their wartime production. If it wasnt for WWII, Chrysler would have died by 1945......
Disclaimer....I am NOT a member of a Union and never have been! I do not really like them either, but I think that they serve a purpose!
Not fair. Employees of the government should be able to negotiate for anything and shut down the government. If they have to strike and shut down the government then the government should have to pay them unemployment compensation and that should also be tied to automatic food stamps while they are out on strike. If the tax payers don't like it, then they should look at and consider forming a union. Unions are great. Unions sit at the right hand of God. They are pure and only care about their members even when they sacrifice for non members. They are pure and the democrats are pure, put here by God. Republicans are trash, evil, liers, thieves, scum, ruled by Satan. All hail Union Representation! All for the good of man! Perfection!
Treasonous liberal trash just aren't smart enough to realize that what he did was best for them too. What a bunch of morons.
I hope he democrats have a place to donate, The destruction of the middle class stops here. I live in another state, but how this turns out will be on all of true americans, and their children. The right to an education will be lost for the middle class
moron.
Let the voters determine who they want. Good job Wisconsin!
I thought they already did?
Dust buster4 they did and Scott won. Dont you get it.
joebob: They actually voted for who they thought Walker was. Silly them. Gray Davis won at the polls too...until he had to take the blame for Enron's rolling blackouts.
If you peolpe in Wisconsin knuckle under to the union thugs who are behind this, you will not have a state worthwhile to live in.
dont worry Chicago student, the dems got caught with their hands in the cookie jar in New York. like they will here. Stack the fake votes, you should know its the Chicago way!!! Dead people voting and voting many times
I grew up in a small red state, and you wouldn't pass muster as a conservative. You aren't polite enough and you clearly don't understand what is going on in WI. Let it go, midwesterners take care of themselves.
Just think how many average Americans support the refartbubblelicans who certainly aren't on their side. The people of Wisconsin can attest to that!
I think a lot of people here are disconnected from what's going on. The recall is not about the policies, it's about a man.
It's more about the unions trying to re-assert their power.
They can keep pretending that us Wisconsinites are angry over collective bargaining, but this crook has done much more than that. He is killing our education system, trying to run redistricting to fix voting and I find it so funny that there was a "glitch" in the system and now most of WI voters voting districts have been changed to Africa.....riiiiight! Tired of him and his dumb and dumber brothers. What about the the money he has illegally obtained, even if he managed to win the recall he will be in jail for all the illegal stuff he has done!
is that anything like the private unions coming into wisconsin with millions by the busload to support the public unions ?
Is that why the UAW represents 22,000 state workers in Michigan? UAW Local 6000 Check it out before you spout off!
ORM, maybe, Scott might want to take it on the rough.
My goodness do you read every piece of drivel left in your mailbox and consider it gospel? Try doing some research and form an opinion based on fact. This recall is about one thing and one thing only, unions. The citizens minus the state union members are much better off now than prior to Walker. The state is headed for prosperity and growth in a world economy that requires skill based employees. Face it people, non-skilled assembly work, traditionally union strong holds is history. You will be compensated for your contributions and skill levels in this global economy.
Diva the unions killed the education system a long time ago.
KIS, you are a talking head. If you were ever in a union you would know better. Dont lie and say you were. I guess you lie on women too.
i was in a union and , once you make it past high school, they're worthless. that's why membership and dues are mandatory... if not, unions would have a very difficult time making it plus, all that $$ is irresistable... what a deal!! mandatory dues - kinda like taxes... you don't really get to choose.
Bull: I suggest you continue to fight for the unions, it appears you need the protection due to your inability to compete based on intelligence.
@THERESA...you been reading the red tea leaves for way too long , use wikipaedia and look up your info before sounding off . scott walker limited collective bargining rights for PUBLIC UNIONS
A recall seems perfectly appropriate for a Governor who attained his position by means of a bait & switch. I'd be interested in what percentage of those signing the petition actually voted for Walker, only to realize that they'd been sold a bill of goods ( bads, actually ).
i can't wait to see how many adolf hitlers and mickey mouses live in wisconsin
better yet I'd be intersed in knowing many are fake votes. Like whats going on right now in New York
ONE: They'll certainly get thrown out, if there are any. Voter fraud is such a miniscule problem that it's doubtful that there will be much. It's only being raised as a red-herring issue by people who have every incentive to disenfranchise as many voters as they can.
You wouldn't believe how many teachers in Wisconsin retire and then go back to work as a contract worker at full pay while drawing full benefits. They're double dipping and it's disgusting! Why is unemployment so high? Because of scumbags like this. If you retire, retire! Make that job available for another person to start their career. This is the crap Walker is trying to get rid of. Unions create cheating, laziness, complacency, and worst of all, an unhealthy sense of entitlement. This horrible practice is bankrupting our society. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Jim you are an idiot. It is only the 1% administrators that are allowed to do that, not the line teachers....
Well, considering they would have to be paid triple or so to do the job the private schools will for my kids, I don't see the problem. If you send your kids to a public school system, then you are part of the problem. Further, if you do send them to a public school, don't complain when they can't beat mine to get a job.
Bull crap Cassandra. There are several school districts right now dealing with this issue.
My kids can beat your kids because they do go to a public school! And "private" schools do not have to educate EVERYONE.....e.g. NCLB. Public schools spend $35,000 to send ONE child with Autism to a Center-based Program. Your beloved exclusionary school won't even look at a child with special needs.....So once again, screw you, FIP!
Dear Jim, I hold an administrators certificate in Michigan and am a teacher of Special Education. I know what I am talking about....and I do not belong to that damned union. I hate it!
Communist? Socialist? Marxist? Where did "elction" go? Did you right wing fanatics complain about these SAME things when a DEMOCRATIC California Govenor was recalled so a famous, and very popular movie actor could take his place? Have you complained about the Democrats in Wisnconsins house being recalled? There is YOUR answer to ALL of the above.It' alright to violate EVERYTHING, and ANYTHING right and democracy oriented as long as it fits YOUR bill.Does it not? YES it does.
Excellent commentary Tripjack.
You know Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin used to throw around those terms "Socialist" and "Communist" at anyone who didn't share his views. If he was on the stage with the GOP candidates today, he would fit right in. Might be the front runner. We brought back the Great Depression, why not McCarthyism as well.
Its about time! We need to balance the budget on the backs of the non-working pukes that leech off the system. Not middle-class workers that had to fight for their rights against a corrupt entitlement system. F-the repuglicans!
Disclaimer--I do not belong to a union and I am a Reagan Republican. This new breed of robber-baron republican makes me sick! Im going to vote for Obama!
hasta la vista
You're a liar Cassandra.
you're no reagan republican Cassandra. You're a union liberal through and through.
a stupid one too if you can't see that Walker has made a major positive impact in wisconsin. want to go back to your wasteful spending, huh...
I will post my union membership denial from my first day of teaching. I spent 10 years in the Army under Reagan/Bush. I have my Regular Army Commission signed by President Bush, do you ? You dont know me so STFU!
Rust belt citizen's have been aware of what a noose around our necks the union has been!
Currently there are 22 Right to Work states.
After Gov. Walker shoves it up these, out of state union idiot's butts, then the rest of the country will get down to business of making all states right to work.
Thirty percent of union members are being held hostage in the first place, The members are not the idiot's it's leaders and the sheep!!!
Eliminate all public unions and make all states Right to Work!!!
BTW, eliminate soros, van jones and obama in November!!!!
the best part of right to work states is the fact that business is growing and taxes are lower . no forced union dues seem to attract business for some reason .
From the workers' perspective that might be true, but for businesses it really isn't. They have to go to states with an educated populace who are wealthy enough to support the products being produced. Zero taxes can't help a state attract business when their population is poor as sin.
Walker should run for president of the United States. We need someone like him in the White House. The people of Wisconsin obviously don't have a clue. Walker has balanced the budget, cut wasteful spending, brought reckless unions under control all without a tax increase. Clueless morons in Wisconsin. Let's hope common sense rules during the recall election and the clueless fall short of voting Walker out of office. What fools.
once we get a republican in the white house the power of the union will be decreased dramatically so scott walker is just fine right where he is
I spend a lot of time there and own a home in Wisconsin. Trust me, I'll be a resident there in time to vote. Not everyone in Wisconsin hates Walker. Many people I know think he's doing a great job! He is...
You mean Obama Jr? Romney is basically the same guy. I don't think I really care who wins since they would do the same things.
It's not the WI citizen's it's the idiot out state union's money!
Any one will sign a petition just to get the idiot out of their face!!!
Jim, legally???
This is just the unions having a hissy fit because someone had the balls to stand up to them. I applaud Gov. Walker and what he has achieved in limiting the out-of-control power of these union thugs. The unions know their day is over and are doing everything they can to intimidate people to hold onto power. Hopefully, they will lose all recalls and disappear into some cave somewhere!!! Bring on all of the propaganda and rhetoric you union puppets!!
ORM, GK, BB, the citizens signed on the line just like they voted. Sounds like you 3 complainers are having the prissy hissy fit.
Maybe you are correct, I do get worked up over worthless union's,
I guess we'll see how WI works out in a few month's, eh????
I live in California; a State bankrupted by liberal Democrats. We're close to 15 Billion Dollars in the red, with no relief in sight. And please don't attempt to blame California's bankrupt status on Arnold Schwarzenegger. Although I did not care for Schwarzenegger's tenure as Governor, he was continuously inhibited by a legislative body with a majority of liberal Democrats, and therefore he could not pass the type of legislation that Walker was able to pass in Wisconsin. And now, we have Governor Moonbeam - Jerry Brown was already a failed governor of California in the past and surprise, surprise, the majority liberals here in this State chose to vote him into office rather than an extremely successful and bright business executive, Meg Whitman. God help us. I'm surrounded by idiotic, myopic idiots who will probably also attempt to re-elect that empty-suit currently occupying the White House. PLEASE, PLEASE SEND WALKER TO CALIFORNIA; WE DESPERATELY NEED HIM AND HIS WAY OF GOVERNING A STATE.
Hey, I think we all get California could use a Walker (or someone who was less vicious to his own party). But WI didn't. They were in the black Jan 1, 2011.
nope.
Walker is nothing but a piece of garbage and truly deserves to be recalled feet first. Anyone who works for a living should view this bum as an immediate threat. Understand what he's doing in Wisconsin: he made it illegal for government employees to engage in a lawful activity which every American who works for a living has a right to do; he made it illegal for them to collectively bargain. What makes anyone think this a$$hole is going to stop there? He's not. What he wants for Wisconsin and America is a replication of working conditions currently "enjoyed" in China. In short, if you want Wisconsin and America to degenerate into a Chinese whorehouse, vote yes to save Walker's pathetic a$$.
Meanwhile, I'll just keep on thinking happy thoughts about Walker. Like picturing his carcass on the ground, head placed firmly in crotch, face up.
I believe you meant that anyone who skates by on the taxpayer money, feels entitled to outrageous pay and benefits, becomes lazy, complacent and cheats the system, should view Walker as an immediate threat.
Hey there ratwarrior.....you are either a myopic employee union individual, or very, very uneducated or both! Many unions in Wisconsin were so powerful that they forced that State into a bankruptcy where Walker had two choices, lower the wages and benefits for some workers or lay off tens of thousands of those same workers. When a State is in bankruptcy it cannot print money as the Federal government under the Obama administration has done to the tune of TRILLIONS of DOLLARS, and has NO CHOICE but to cut expenses somehow, some way, or raise taxes to make up for the shortfall. I would love to have Walker as Governor of California instead of Governor Moonbeam - Jerry, the failure, Brown.
Oh Jim, you mean ANY politician from Illinois????LMFAO TJC the WELFARE RECIPIENTS forced Wisconsin and Michigan into bankruptcy, not Unions.......God you guys sound like little moronic brown-shirts...
Sounds like you're a whining union liberal who's afraid you will actually have to work for a living. The unions, private and government, along with nobama, are destroying this country.
What a BIG waste of money this recall B.S. is! So, is this going to be the next fad? Recall, recall, boo hoo-boo hoo, poor me me me! :o( Good for you Mr. Walker. The devil with all of the big cry babies! If you don't like my post, I could give a rat's ass! BOO HOO
I'll say it again... there is nothing "conservative" about those people - everyone needs to stop referring to them as "conservatives."
They are USERS... and that is NOT conservative.
They use up resources, they use up people.
There is nothing conservative about them.
They are repressive, oppressive, and from the 527 ads we've all seen... just plain NASTY.
Their consumptive ways consume them from the inside. Have you ever seen such ugliness? (and toward their own kind... wow... telling, isn't it?)
What did John Lennon say... "You can't hide when you're ugly inside."
conservative stands for save money and liberal stands for spend money we have money in our pocket by saving it you have money in your pocket by ... well ... oh yeah,liberal states are broke states
Prophet, apparently John Lennon was a freakin' economist...
The Republican party has done a fantastic job of convincing people, who weren't in unions, that unions are the reason their pay is so low. They've also done a great job selling Americans on the idea that rich people pay an exorbitant rate in taxes. Then Mitt Romney, under pressure reveals that he pays around 15% taxes on his multi-milion dollar income. Wake up please people. You're hurting yourselves to help the rich get richer, while actually paying a lower tax rate than middle class Americans. But, the rich are helping middle class Americans pay a lower tax rate, by helping them to get below the poverty line. So, just keep voting Republican, and you might move into the group that actually pays no income tax.
there is a big difference in investment income and earned income . he INVESTS money therefore stands to lose money while earned income is guaranteed income no chance for loss so if you raise taxes on on investment then investors will spend elsewhere