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Scores of candidates have lined up to run for Congress and the Legislature, according to nomination papers filed with the state Government Accountability Board by the deadline of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
And it doesn’t necessarily matter if the incumbent is of the same political stripe. Nine Democratic incumbents and three Republican incumbents in the Legislature face primary challenges from members of their own party.
Toss in a last-second decision by Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chetek, to drop his GOP affiliation and run as an independent, and it adds up to a wild prelude to the Sept. 9 primary. The winners advance to the Nov. 4 general election.
“People are in a very sour mood about how they’re being represented,” said Mike McCabe, executive director of government watchdog group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. “People don’t believe Wisconsin is on the right track and they don’t believe public officials can be trusted to do the right thing. People are very frustrated with public officials across the board and across party lines.”
The stakes are high.
Republicans control the Assembly by just five seats, 52-47. Democrats hold the majority in the Senate 17-15.
Gov. Jim Doyle is a Democrat. If his party can hold onto the Senate and capture the Assembly, it would be able to shape law and policy in Wisconsin unimpeded.
Democrats see an opportunity to ride a wave of national momentum as President Bush’s popularity tanks, the war in Iraq drags on and the economy continues to sputter. Republicans aren’t conceding anything.
On the Assembly side, all 99 seats are up for re-election. About a third of the races will have primaries.
For example, half-a-dozen Democrats are vying for Barbara Gronemus’ seat after the Whitehall Democrat announced she would retire. Another six Democrats are fighting for Dave Travis’ seat after the Waunakee Democrat announced he wouldn’t run again.
Democrats are attacking their own, too. Nine Assembly Democrats face challenges from their fellow Democrats. Some face more than one challenger from their own party.
Multiple Republicans are vying for open seats as well. Four are trying to replace Menomonee Falls Republican Rep. Suzanne Jeskewitz, who announced her retirement, four are vying for retired Cambria Republican Eugene Hahn’s seat and four want to fill retired Reedsburg Republican Sheryl Albers’ seat.
Reps. John Townsend, R-Fond Du Lac, Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson and Dan LeMahieu, R-Cascade, each face a challenger from their own party in a primary.
Wood stirred things up Tuesday, announcing just hours before the filing deadline he would drop out of the GOP and run as an independent.
Wood didn’t return a message the AP left at his Capitol office, but he told the Chippewa Herald newspaper GOP leadership blacklisted him because he was too independent. They banished him to a do-nothing committee, he said.
He added he also was upset the party has abandoned its principles of small government and fiscal responsibility.
Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, denied anyone retaliated against Wood, saying the caucus has a number of independent thinkers.
State GOP Executive Director Mark Jefferson said Wood delayed his announcement to make sure Republicans wouldn’t be able to find a candidate before Tuesday’s filing deadline.
Things are a bit calmer on the Senate side, where half of that body’s 33 seats are up for re-election.
Four races are uncontested.
Sen. Spencer Coggs, D-Milwaukee, faces a primary challenge from Nicholas E. Cosey. The winner faces no opposition in November.
Wisconsin’s eight congressional races, meanwhile, feature four primaries.
Four Democrats are vying to replace Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. Libertarians Ben Olson III and Kevin Barrett will battle for the right to face incumbent Democratic Rep. Ron Kind of La Crosse and Republican Paul Stark of Eau Claire in November.
Incumbent Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, faces Cedarburg Republican Jim Burkee. Democrats Roger Kittelson and Mark Wollum will square off for the right to face Republican Rep. Tom Petri of Fond du Lac.
University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said the crush of Democratic candidates reflect anti-Republican sentiment and the number of open seats.
“This year has your opportunity written all over it,” he said.
The state GOP’s Jefferson said Republican primaries offer great chances to define the candidates and make the winner stronger going into November. Republicans challenging GOP incumbents are probably secretly Democrats who realize they can’t win in those districts under that party’s banner.
“We’ll be very supportive of the incumbents,” Jefferson said.
