State Political Roundup: 'Real' Democrats undefeated in Tuesday's primaries

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Six Democrats won their state Senate recall primaries yesterday, and none lost to the so-called “fake Democrats.”

Ellsworth teacher Shelly Moore was the closest real Democrat to avoid elimination. She survived with 54% of the vote over former G-P Assembly candidate Isaac Weix.

Moore won the right to challenge Senate Republican Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls in the Aug. 9 recall election.

The GOP put up the fake Democrats to give the Republican senators who were targeted for recalls an extra month to campaign.

The other five real Democrats each won with at least two-thirds of the vote. Three are currently in the Assembly and are looking to get promoted to the upper house without having to give up their current posts if they lose.

Baraboo Rep. Fred Clark will face GOP incumbent Luther Olsen of Ripon. La Crosse Democrat Jennifer Shilling will try to get Republican Dan Kapanke of La Crosse recalled. Whitefish Bay Rep. Sandy Pasch faces Senate Finance Chairwoman Alberta Darling of River Hills.

Also, former Brown County executive Nancy Nusbaum won a primary and will try to unseat Green Bay Senate Republican Rob Cowles. Democrat Jessica King won the right to try to unseat Fond du Lac GOP Senator Randy Hopper.

The incumbents were all targeted because of their votes in favor of the new limits on public union bargaining.

The next recall votes will be next Tuesday when Republicans will be chosen to go up against Democratic senators Jim Holperin and Bob Wirch. And Green Bay Republican David VanderLeest will try next week to unseat Senate Democrat Dave Hansen. The Democrats are targeted for being away from Madison for three weeks in a failed attempt to block the union law.

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Photo ID law tryout irks some voters

Wisconsin voters had their first encounters Tuesday with the new photo ID requirement, and some were less than pleased.

Kim Garrett of Madison told a reporter that she and others planned to protest the new law by not showing their ID’s until they absolutely had to. She said it would turn people off and make them less likely to vote.

Technically voters don’t have to show photo ID’s until the 2012 elections. But those who didn’t have them Tuesday were given information about the law.

Dane County Clerk Karen Peters said things went smoothly. But she said it would be “horrendous” next year when voters must show their ID’s. Peters predicted long lines and delays.

In the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, long lines formed late Tuesday morning as clerks explained the new law to people.

This was also the first election in which voters had to sign in, and that caught lots of people off-guard.

Majority Republicans were finally able to approve the voter ID mandate this spring after former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed it three times.

The GOP says the requirement will reduce voter fraud, but Democrats and other critics say there’s hardly any fraud – and Republicans are just trying to rig the system to encourage groups that normally vote Democratic to stay home.

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Planned Parenthood lobbyist likely to win Assembly seat

A lobbyist for Planned Parenthood is about to become the newest member of the Wisconsin Legislature.

Chris Taylor won a six-way Democratic primary Tuesday for the Assembly seat vacated when Democrat Joe Parisi became the new Dane County executive in April.

Taylor received 31% of the vote. No Republicans ran for the post so Taylor is expected to officially win it during the general election Aug. 9.

Taylor, 43, campaigned on her record as a lobbyist. She said she encouraged lawmakers of both parties to pass more bills for women’s reproductive health in the last four years than at any other time in state history.

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