Wisconsin Senate: Overshadowed by the Recall
SubscriberJanuary 27, 2012 · 3:00 PM EDT
Under normal circumstances, Wisconsin’s first open Senate seat since 1988 would be the biggest political game in town this cycle. Sen. Herb Kohl announced his retirement in May, and though the four-term Democrat had faced easy reelections, his move sets up a competitive race that is even more complicated by the political turmoil that has permeated the Badger State over the past year. Democrats cleared the field for Cong. Tammy Baldwin, but Republicans are inching toward a competitive primary between former Gov. Tommy Thompson, former Cong. Mark Neumann and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald.
Buoyed by GOP gains in 2010, Gov. Scott Walker and state Republicans proposed curtailing public employees’ bargaining power, pushing Wisconsin into a state of political unrest. Republicans’ actions spurred weeks of protests in Madison. That led to recalls against nine state senators – six Republicans and three Democrats – but Democrats picked up only two seats, falling short of their goal of taking back control of the upper chamber. Even though their victory wasn’t as widespread as they had hoped for, Democrats still smell blood in the water, and last week turned in over one million signatures, assuring a recall election against Walker, expected to be set for sometime this summer.
As a…
The Civil Wars
SubscriberJanuary 27, 2012 · 2:59 PM EDT
The decennial knife-fight known as redistricting is poised to claim more victims in 2012 intraparty squabbles than ten years ago, and it’s Democrats who will have more member-member primary fights on their hands than their GOP counterparts.
Republicans, overall, have done a better job at…
Ohio House Primaries: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
SubscriberJanuary 27, 2012 · 2:58 PM EDT
Republicans hit some bumps in the road on their way to implementing their redistricting map, putting the primary date in danger of being moved. But a deal with some Democrats in the legislature preserved much of the Republicans’ plan and in time to save the March 6 primary.
While the Buckeye…
Illinois House Primaries: Don’t Take This Personally
SubscriberJanuary 27, 2012 · 2:56 PM EDT
Democrats maximized their opportunity to draw the new congressional map, but they couldn’t avoid a couple competitive primaries.
In the 2nd District, Cong. Jesse Jackson Jr. faces a former colleague, Debbie Halvorson, in the March 20 Democratic primary in a redrawn district that stretches well…
Alabama House Primaries: Please Forgive Me
SubscriberJanuary 27, 2012 · 2:56 PM EDT
Spencer Bachus (R) has been in Congress for ten terms. Mo Brooks (R) hasn’t been there much longer than ten months. But both men could face serious challenges as Republican voters in Alabama gear up for the March 13 primary.
Neither Bachus’ 6th District nor Brooks’ 5th District is at risk of a…
