Government and Political News: Rep. Senatorial recall candidates out in front dollar-wise

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State Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald has over five times as much campaign money available than the Democrat who’s trying to recall him. New finance reports show that Fitzgerald, of Juneau, has almost 430-thousand-dollars on hand. His Democratic recall challenger, Lori Compas, has 85-thousand in the bank. Compas, a photographer from Fort Atkinson, raised 100-thousand-dollars since January. Fitzgerald raised about 230-thousand in that same period. Compas will go against fake Democrat Gary Ellerman in next week’s primaries. The general election is June fifth. Meanwhile, Senate Republican Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls has about 196-thousand-dollars in the bank for his recall contest on June fifth. His main challenger, former Assembly Democrat Kristin Dexter of Eau Claire, has around 47-thousand on hand. She raised 102-thousand-dollars since January, while Moulton raised 118-thousand.

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There’s a new estimate that 42-million-dollars has already been raised-and-spent on the recall election against Governor Scott Walker – more than any single political race in state history. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel came up with the figure. It’s based on the candidates’ financial reports, plus analysis from the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign which estimates expenses by groups that don’t have to report their spending. The previous record was 37-million dollars in the 2010 governor’s election, when the Republican Walker defeated Democrat Tom Barrett. Based on the totals so far, Mike McCabe of the Democracy Campaign figures that the final spending in the Walker recall will easily go above 60-million-dollars – and it could hit 80-million. Unlike regular elections, there was a window when individual donors could give as much as they wanted to the governor, because of his status as a recall target. And two donors gave a half-million-dollars each. Walker’s campaign has raised 25-million-dollars, but has already spent all but five-million of it – mostly on T-V ads since last November, when the recall campaign began. McCabe says you can expect to see more ads from independent groups on both sides during the four-week general election campaign which follows next Tuesday’s primaries.

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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie appeared in Green Bay and Oak Creek yesterday, to urge voters to keep his fellow Republican Governor Scott Walker in office for his full term. Walker faces a recall election on June fifth. And Christie said that over the next five weeks, Wisconsin would answer the question of what’s more powerful – the people or quote, “the moneyed special interests of Washington D-C.” Christie said Walker stood with Wisconsinites a year ago, when he fought off opponents of the new law which virtually eliminated most public union bargaining in the Badger State. And now, Christie said those opponents are trying to reverse the exercise of democracy from 2010 when Walker was elected. Both Democratic front-runners in next week’s gubernatorial primary slammed Christie’s appearance. Tom Barrett says Christie and Walker are quote, “darlings of the national right-wing elite.” Kathleen Falk said both have extreme records, and they don’t share the values of Wisconsin residents.

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