State Senate - Historic Primary To Set Recall Matchup

Voters will make history today in the primary for Wisconsin's first statewide recall election.Electors will choose one of four Democrats (and one spoiler candidate) to challenge Gov. Scott Walker in the June 5 recall. Republicans also will choose between Walker and a spoiler.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary are: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, Secretary of State Doug La Follette and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout. Also on the ballot is Gladys Huber, a Republican running as a Democrat.

On the GOP side, Walker faces a challenge from Arthur Kohl-Riggs, a veteran of last year's Capitol protests who says he's running as a "progressive Republican."

Walker plans to stop in Onalaska this morning on a four-city tour.

Spokeswoman Ciara Matthews said the campaign is encouraging Republican voters to go the polls Tuesday, but the focus is on the general election.

Voters will also select from among three Democrats in the primary for lieutenant governor: Mahlon Mitchell, a Madison firefighter and president of the state firefighters' union; Milwaukee private investigator Ira Robbins; and Isaac Weix, a Republican protest candidate.

Republican incumbent Rebecca Kleefisch is unopposed.

Walker is just the third U.S. governor to stand in a recall election, according to recall historian and blogger Joshua Spivak. North Dakota Gov. Lynn Frazier was ousted in 1921, and California's Gray Davis in 2003.

Turnout in question

La Crosse County Clerk Ginny Dankmeyer said Monday she expects local turnout could reach 40 to 45 percent. She said that's based primarily on the 36 percent turnout seen in last summer's primary for the state Senate recall, in which challenger Jennifer Shilling faced a Republican protest candidate.

Short of that, there are no comparable benchmarks.

"A lot of people are fired up and talking about this," Dankmeyer said. "But are they going to go to the polls and vote?"

State election officials estimate turnout will be 30 to 35 percent.

Voter ID

Voters will not need photo identification for today's election. A judge's injunction against the state's new voter ID law prohibits clerks and election inspectors from asking for an ID.

However, the law does require voters to have lived in their district for 28 days since April 10 and must have official proof of residence. Corroboration by a registered voter is no longer allowed.

Voters who already cast absentee ballots (in person or by mail) can no longer override those ballots.

Crossover allowed sort of

Because each recall is considered a separate election, voters will be allowed to vote for a Republican in the governor's race and a Democrat in the lieutenant governor's race. They will not be allowed to vote for more than one candidate in each race.

Senate recalls

Voters in four state Senate districts will also choose Democrats to run against incumbent Republicans in June recall elections. In Senate District 23, which includes small portions of northern Trempealeau and Jackson counties, Kristen Dexter and James Engel are vying to challenge incumbent Sen. Terry Moulton.