On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Wisconsin Democratic chairman Mike Tate touted the victories in Tuesday’s state Senate recall primaries by all six official Dem candidates, against Republican activists who had filed in the Democratic primaries. Tate also said the party had internal polling that showed the Dems poised to win a majority in the state Senate in the recall general elections this August.
Soon after the recall elections were triggered, Republicans declared a strategy to plant fake candidates in the Democratic primaries — which they have called “protest candidates” — in order to delay the general elections from July to August, while the GOP incumbents ran unopposed. The candidates included a GOP activist in his 20s, and an octogenarian former GOP state representative, among others. As it turned out, the scheme would cost local governments throughout the state over $400,000.
“I think it is time to officially ask for Scott Walker and the Republican Party of Wisconsin to reimburse taxpayers for the costs they were forced to bear for these fake primaries,” said Tate, calling the Republicans hypocrites, and also adding: “They have no credibility to speak on shepherding tax dollars moving forward.”
Tate predicted that Dem state Sen. Dave Hansen would easily win his general election next week against lone GOP challenger David VanderLeest — a flawed candidate which the GOP was stuck with after the preferred candidate, state Rep. John Nygren, failed to submit 400 valid petition signatures. Throughout the call, Tate described Vanderleest as “a bail-jumping, domestic violence offender,” and “a radical, extreme Republican with a criminal history.”
He also said that the internal polling showed the other two Dems facing recalls in August, Robert Wirch and Jim Holperin, over 50% against their challengers, and noted their very large fundraising advantages.
Tate also said that the polling showed that none of the six Republican incumbents with an approval rating of over 44%, and that none scored under 50% support in match-ups against their Democratic challengers.
TPM asked whether the efforts by Republicans to win one of the six Democratic primaries, in the 10th District held by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, showed them well-positioned for an actual general election — the official Democratic candidate Shelly Moore won the race, but only by a 54%-46% margin. Did the Republicans nearly winning that Dem primary give a good omen for them in the general election for that seat?
“They didn’t come anywhere near winning the Democratic primary for that seat,” said Tate. “I think what we saw yesterday was the clearest indication that Sheila Harsdorf is going to lose that seat, and the Republican Party already knows that.”
“They said in their own communications that this is our best opportunity to defeat Shelly Moore and protect Sheila Harsdorf,” Tate added.
