The Daily Caller

The Daily Caller
Politics

Walker rakes in campaign cash, Democrats say he’s bracing for a recall

1:16 PM 07/26/2011
Steven Nelson
Associate Editor

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker has hauled in an impressive amount of money this year.

The governor — who stoked liberal fury with a protracted struggle over union rights this year — has raised $2.5 million since taking office seven months ago.

According to the Wisconsin Reporter, the sum is four times what Walker’s predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, raised at this point in his term.

“It is the direct result of the governor following through on his promises of reforming Wisconsin, balancing the budget and putting the state back to work,” Stephan Thompson, executive director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin, told the Wisconsin Reporter.

Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski told The Daily Caller that the hefty haul indicates that Walker is already preparing for a recall election next year.

“The good news is it’s a sign that even he knows he will face recall and possible replacement next year as a result of his divisive agenda,” Zielinski said in an email. (Gov. Scott Walker signs concealed weapons bill into law)

“We’ll never have the mountains of cash at our disposal like Walker,” Zielinski said. “But the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has this year raised more money than Walker and we are confident that we will have the resources to stop the Walker agenda and Walker himself next year.”

The successful fundraising comes as Walker “pays back the special interests who’ve set his agenda,” Zielinski said. “That Walker has gone around with his hand out to K Street lobbyists and Wall Street bankers is a sign that he is hearing the footsteps of the working families who say ‘enough’ to his anti-family, anti-Wisconsin agenda.”

If a recall election does happen next year, Democrats may be able to enlist a top-tier candidate.

Possible Democratic challengers to Walker include Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who lost to Walker in 2010, and former Sen. Russ Feingold, who will announce around Labor Day whether he will run for the Senate seat of retiring Democrat Herb Kohl, challenge Walker or do neither.

“Feingold would certainly generate a ton of enthusiasm and has been outspoken in his criticism of the Scott Walker-Paul Ryan agenda,” Zielinski said.

Tags: Scott Walker, Wisconsin
  • truebearing

    Every conservative in the country who can afford to should send Walker something. Wisconsin is a make or break state for the unions and they are desperate to get Wisconsin back into their corrupt, Commie clutches.

    Walker’s Collective Bargaining Bill has already gotten school districts out of the red (no pun intended) and into the black. The city of Kaukauna went from a deficit of over a million dollars to a $300,000 surplus in only a few months after the bill passed.

    How could a school district turn around that quick? It is simply because the teachers were forced by a law to buy their insurance from the Teacher’s Union insurance company, WEA. Once the bill passed they could buy insurance anywhere and the competitive rates were WAAAAAY lower than the union’s little insurance monopoly scam. And here we all thought the left hated monopolies….but I digress. once forced to compete, WEA’s rates plummeted and they announced proudly that they were competitive…finally, thanks to Walker and the Republicans in the legislature.

    School districts, now freed from the union racketeering, are taking the surplus money they are saving and giving merit bonuses to deserving teachers. Thanks again to Walker.

    Walker has paid the $200,000,000 debt to Minnesota that Progressive Democrat Doyle wouldn’t pay. Minnesota thanks Walker. They should be so lucky to have someone with the honesty and courage of Walker.

    Wisconsin finally passed Concealed Carry, thanks to the Republicans and Walker, and the state will now be requiring voter ID, thanks again to Walker.

    Anyone can see why the unions and the left (from the department of redundancy department) hate Walker. And hate may be an understatement.

    All Hail Governor Walker…. and send him money! All piss on the unions and send them to jail.

  • mwade002

    He is going for a record. Most cash raised by a corrupt politician facing impeachment with less than a year into office. He thinks Doyle is the challenger. The dunce hat goes to the King of Wisconsin.

    • truebearing

      Whew! That was one stupid comment! you must be a Madison mutant. They grow’em real demented in Madison. I should know. I used to live there.

    • the dirtmover

      You must be one of those high ranking union officials. Maybe you might have to actually go out and get an honest job. ( just a guess )
      Things turn around for the positive, and peoples lives are getting better, you bitch.

  • Joe Astroturf

    Read “Architects of Ruin” and see who really gets the wall street money. I’ll let you guess . Here’s some clues. 1) He never went out with girls until he got married even though he was snorting coke. 2) Likes to hire ballerina boys in big jobs until they get to be mayor of Chicago. 3) He wants gays in the military. 4) He hires schools safety czar to teach our kids about fisting. 5) Is against gay marriage but is rethinking it the heftier his wife gets. These Democrats suck us dry by banding with Wall street and the IMF and filter the money back to themselves and call the republicans friends of the rich. Bill Clinton bailed out Mexico and the investment firms using the IMF in 1995. He used the IMF as him and his friends private bank going around congress.

    Please Check out song called teapartiers I can’t hear you at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJfboOindCo

    Here’s a verse

    Doctors are retiring earlier but we’re getting 17000 new IRS
    This is how Obama creates health care jobs I guess
    For 234 years this country’s been God’s blessing.
    Now he’s following Cloward and Piven’s to bankrupt the country I’m guessing
    If Obamacare gives Grandma and Grandpa a scare
    Think how when their rationed and die earlier we’ll save on healthcare

  • BigRmv

    “Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski told The Daily Caller that the hefty haul indicates that Walker is already preparing for a recall election next year.”

    Oh no! There go those pesky Republicans again! Always looking ahead and planning for the future as opposed to just living in the ‘here and now’ like the Democrats!

  • minicapt

    Was Zielenski the only Democrat available to take questions?

    Cheers

  • student1776

    Walker has one “special interest” in mind – the people of Wisconsin. The Democrats are owned by the unions. It is unfair for unions to bargain with a politician on one side and pay off the politician personally with “campaign contributions” and labor on the other. The politician gives the union what it wants, the union gives the politician what he wants, and the public gets shafted.

  • Phil_EngAmer

    Seeing as we have state senators being recalled for simply following the law, it would make sense for the Governor to prepare himself for another frivolous use of the recall system.

    In terms of the money he’s raised, it’s important to have some perspective on the situation. Compared to the amount of money that unions have recently dumped into the state, this amount seems miniscule. Take a look at the recent recall elections. In the span of a couple days over $1 million was spent by out-of-state unions to fund the efforts of the democratic candidates (http://bit.ly/qpMVg0), an absurd amount of money for a state senate recall election.

    It would be irresponsible for him not to prepare himself. Seeing as his legislation is saving his state money and jobs (http://bit.ly/qMXRJX), it would make sense for him to try to ensure that he can continue to good in Wisconsin, for as long as possible.