Democrats have gotten their favored candidate to run for the northern Wisconsin House seat held by retiring Democratic stalwart David Obey, with state Sen. Julie Lassa entering the race on Monday.
Last week, when Obey announced his surprise retirement, Lassa’s name was at the top of the list of potential candidates. In addition, the party made it clear its intention to a) get a candidate quickly, within ten days of Obey’s announcement, and b) to coalesce around that candidate and avoid a primary. Lassa’s likely Republican opponent is Sean Duffy, the Ashland County district attorney and a former cast member on MTV’s The Real World reality show.
Some of the Dems who had been mentioned as potential candidates, such as state Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker and State Sen. Pat Kreitlow, have endorsed Lassa, but two other Dem names are still floating out there: Former state Sen. Kevin Shibilski, and state Rep. Louis Molepske. A Dem source in Wisconsin told TPMDC: “Julie stepped up and announced her intentions within just a few days of Dave Obey’s retirement. I think other people can still run, but everything I’ve heard makes me think that Julie will run a very strong campaign and be the nominee.”
