Dylan Brogan
News-Soglin-governor-01102018
After months of teasing, the wait is over: Today, Mayor Paul Soglin announced his candidacy for governor in a statement.
Soglin wasted no time in tying Walker to President Donald Trump, saying, “On the façade of the U.S. Supreme Court are carved the words, ‘equal justice under law.’ Today we have a president and a governor who do not believe in those principles.”
The mayor’s statement faulted Trump on immigration policies and rights for women and minorities while blaming Walker for restrictive voter ID laws and cuts to children’s health care in the state.
Soglin also tied Walker to the recent Republican tax overhaul, calling it “the biggest tax fraud in our country’s history” and blaming the governor for “cheering on” an unfair tax system in Wisconsin.
Walker responded quickly to Soglin’s announcement, sending out a fundraising email titled “Not another Bernie” minutes after the mayor’s release. He also sent a tweet describing Soglin as an “extreme liberal” and attacking his record in Madison, “where businesses have left and murders have gone up.” However, Isthmus reporting shows Madison is leading the state in job creation.
Soglin joins a long list of Democrats aiming to unseat Walker. State Rep. Dana Wachs, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, firefighters union head Mahlon Mitchell and state schools superintendent Tony Evers are among those who have already declared for the Democratic primary in August.
Soglin said last week that an internal campaign poll found he can beat Walker. Earlier this month, he confirmed that he’d hired Melissa Mulliken to run his campaign. Mulliken has also run Soglin’s recent mayoral campaigns.
