Here's a question that's been bugging me and nobody seems able to answer. Why doesn't the GOP field primary candidates to challenge the incumbent Republican state senators who are facing recall?
Here's why they should. The way the recall elections work, the Government Accountability Board will likely have all or most of the elections held on the same day. July 12 is currently the tentative date. That day can serve as either the primary or the general election, depending on whether primary candidates declare. If there is a primary challenger in either party, the primary election takes place on that day, and the general election takes place 4 weeks later.
If the GOP wants as much time as possible to push through its legislative agenda, why would it not run token GOP candidates against Hopper, Kapanke and others?
I think the hardest part is just getting the 400-800 signatures necessary without stirring negative media attention. It's tough to find that many people in say, northwestern Wisconsin, who are partisan enough and cynical enough to sign nomination papers for a candidate they don't support and keep mum about it.
That's not to say the GOP may not benefit from some primary challenges -- even those made in earnest. There are more than a few Republicans upset to learn that Randy Hopper doesn't live with his wife, and there are probably a more than a few conservative prison guards in Luther Olsen's district who'd like to field a Republican candidate more attentive to their welfare.
The longer the wait is until the general election, the greater the advantage is to the incumbents. The manic frenzy of political activism on the left can only last so long, especially in some of these conservative districts.
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