Wisconsin state Sen. Jon Erpenbach has announced that he is endorsing Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the upcoming Democratic primary for the recall against Gov. Scott Walker.
Erpenbach posted this message on Facebook Monday morning:
I support Tom Barrett for Governor. I’ve said from the beginning that we need a candidate who gives us the best chance to defeat Scott Walker and that candidate is Tom Barrett. In short time, Scott Walker has steamrolled through Wisconsin leaving a state divided in his wake. We have seen drastic cuts to education, tax breaks for corporations and a social agenda so out of touch that it leaves us wondering what has happened to the state we love. I know Tom will fight to restore collective bargaining, focus on the economy and end the division in our state. Tom will work with all of us to make Wisconsin proud again. I fully support and will campaign for Tom Barrett for Governor.
Erpenbach, who became a major media spokesman among the Democratic legislators who fled the state a year ago in an effort to block Walker’s anti-public employee union legislation, had himself been seen for a while as a potential gubernatorial candidate. His endorsement is also a gain in the Madison area for Barrett, who has feuded with public employee unions on issues of Milwaukee city government. Two major public employee unions have endorsed former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.
