My Election Thoughts

By Jeff Simpson

Election results here!

1.  Brett Hulsey had a solid showing receiving almost 52000 votes.  Brett Hulsey did not deserve to win, ran a solid campaign, brought up issues that needed to be brought up and did not deserve to be treated as poorly by the party as he was.  

Brett Hulsey9 hours ago

If Mary Burke wins tonight, I support her to beat Scott Walker in November.

2.  Mary Jo Walters was the story of the night.   116,006 votes as a relative unknown, who was completely shunned by the party she tried to represent, with no money against the political insider, long time WI Senator who refused to acknowledge her existence.   Congrats Mary Jo and thank you for what you have done.  

3.  I have not decided if the 116,006 people who voted for her were saying F U to the Democratic executive committee that endorsed her opponent and shunned her or the Democratic Executive committee and Chairman Tate who treated her like a second class citizen and shut her out of the Democratic convention were saying FU to the 116,006 Wisconsin voters who supported Mary Jo Walters.  Either way it is up to them to heal and bridge the divide NOT the other way around.

4.  When the race is so close, maybe the people did deserve a debate.

5  This cracked me up.   Apparently he forgot to put in the asterisk.  * Only applies to people I approve of running.  

   

6.  The overwhelming win by Rob Zerban surprised me, the overwhelming win by Paul Ryan did not.   I always thought Jeremy Ryan's best chance to win would be to get on the ballot then disappear.  Not a second of campaigning and hope people checked the wrong box.  

7.  Every vote matters, ask Janis Ringhand and Ernie Wittwer.

8.  The Democratic establishment lost, ask Pat Bohmack, Jon Richards and Tom Rayome.  

9.  Mike Sheridan's political career is over while Robin Vos was given a promotion and I can not figure out the difference between the two.  

10.   The extreme's on the R side of the 6th Congressional district were not distinguishable.  

11.  Triple dipping Van Wanggaard won, despite the fact he advertised that he had the old Knotsies as supporters.   I would hope that the fact that he is running on a I got mine and now want to pull the ladder up" campaign will be noticeable to the voters in his district!  

12.  How in the world can Sheriff Clarke win?  Seriously?   If it was all cross over votes and you did not see that coming, whose fault is that?

13.  Susan Happ will make a great Attorney General.  

14.  The low turnout still fails to amaze me and the fact that it is not addressed by the Democratic party also amazes me.  Why go after the imaginary Walker/Obama voters and not after the 80% of the people who did not choose to vote in the primary?   Give people a reason to vote and they will!    

15.  Congrats to Dana Duncan, no support from the Dem party, shunned by Wisconsin Progress and won handily.  Now its time to retire Scott Krug.

16.  Scott Walker is beatable, no excuses from the team trying to do so allowed!  

Ernie Wittwer for State Senate District 17

 

By Jeff Simpson


With the unfortunate retirement of the Dale Schultz,  that left a wide open seat in the 17th Senate District.   On the republican side, far right extremist (he who voted on the side of cancer and against cancer victims) Howard Marklein declared the first time Senator schultz showed any independence.  Immediately the far right donors started throwing money at him.

Then local resident and farmer and retired Department of Transportation administrator Ernie Wittwer decided to throw his hat into the ring on the Democratic side.  Ernie has a strong grassroots following and an excellent resume.  

However, as we have pointed out on this blog on numerous occasions, if you are not inside you are outside and there is no room in Madison for outsiders.  Once again, the elected democrats circled their wagons and attacked.   Two time loser and former Jim Doyle aide, Pat Bomhack. took time off to go to college and now desperately wants back in!

Bomhack wants back in so badly, that he and the fellow members of the old boys club are more than willing to lose control of the Senate to make it happen.   Bomhack was running against Dick Cates in the primary for the Assembly seat, but was doing poorly and thought he would have a better chance of beating Ernie Wittwer.

Of course after saying he wouldn't.

 “A lot of local people have been encouraging me to go for the Senate but I’m totally focused on my Assembly race right now,” he said.

 Typical of people who chose politics as a career, he was not that focused because shortly thereafter, he switched to running for Senate.

The party leaders in Madison talked him into switching, then endorsed him.


Although Ernie Wittwer, a retired Department of Transportation administrator, declared his candidacy for the seat last year, his bid was evidently not taken seriously by party leaders in Madison. They began urging Pat Bomhack, a recent UW Law School grad and aide to former Gov. Jim Doyle, to drop his bid for the 51st Assembly District, in which he was considered an underdog, and run against Wittwer for Senate. Bomhack had run for the same Assembly seat in 2012, losing in a primary.
In April, Bomhack announced he was making the switch, and a week later Larson announced his support for the young candidate. Soon afterwards, Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona and a former minority leader, also endorsed Bomhack.

  The local party leaders and grassroots support were none too happy.

Maureen Grimm, a school board member in Mineral Point who beat Bomhack in the Assembly primary in 2012, said she is puzzled by the support Capitol leaders are extending to Bomhack, who only moved to the area three years ago.
“The vast majority of involved Democrats in the 17th favor Ernie,” she said. “Perhaps there’s a little bit of a disconnect on what this district values. A difference between urban and rural.”
In what some local activists saw as a direct snub, Larson, delivering a speech about Senate races at the state Democratic convention last month, highlighted Bomhack’s candidacy and didn’t even mention Wittwer.
“I was disappointed at the convention that Chris said that,” said Phil Fransen, chair of the Green County Democratic Party, who said he is “leaning towards” supporting Wittwer but believes he should remain neutral in his capacity as a party official.
Mike Gallagher, chair of the Democratic Party of Lafayette Party, is actively supporting Wittwer and he said he gave Larson a piece of his mind after hearing the speech.
“I told him that that was very wrong,” he recalled saying. “You can support who you want but you don’t ignore that there’s a primary in the 17th Senate District.”

 Local grassroots overwhelmingly support Mr. Wittwer, but because the DPW does not think he will tow the line 100% they would rather lose the seat, than let the local people decide by pushing a cookie cutter carpet bagging insider.  

Do you really have to ask why the dems have had such a hard time finding candidates to run for office?  

For the sake of Wisconsin, our public schools, jobs and all
 other issues, it is imperative that we send a message to the right and the left and elect Ernie Wittwer!    

I fully endorse Ernie Wittwer in the 17th Senate district of Wisconsin this morning! 

Help Ernie Win!!!!

Ernie Wittwer's website is here!

Ernie Wittwer's facebook page is here!

Ernie Wittwer's twitter account is@wittwer4senate

Ernie Wittwer's email is here!

 DONATE to Ernie Wittwer here! 

Waukesha-based Campaigns!

 

By Jeff Simpson

A Democrat threw his hat in the ring to take on Republican Moderate Senator Dale Schultz. 

Madison -- Former state transportation budget director Ernie Wittwer announced Tuesday he is running as a Democrat for the seat held by state Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center).
His announcement alters the dynamic of the closely watched race. Schultz has not decided whether he will seek re-election and has not ruled out running as an independent if he does run.
Rep. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) is seeking the seat, so Schultz will face a primary challenge if he runs as a Republican.
Schultz has frustrated his fellow Republicans by voting against them on legislation to limit collective bargaining for public workers and to streamline mining regulation.
In a news conference in the state Capitol, Wittwer praised Schultz for taking some courageous votes but said he votes with Republicans the vast majority of the time. Wittwer said he was in the race no matter what Schultz does.
"Dale hasn't made up his mind," Wittwer said. "I'll be running in either case."

 What is interesting about this story is how Schultzs chief of staff, Todd Allbaugh, had to say when asked about this:

He said Wittwer appeared to be "a Dale Schultz Republican," but reserved most of his criticism for Marklein.
"This is a Waukesha-based campaign," he said of Marklein's campaign for a seat on the other side of the state. "Howard Marklein is the tea party candidate, who absolutely is being bought and paid for by the far right wing of the party."

Now we have party bosses in Waukesha trying to decide every race in the state and punishing those who disagree.

Its up to you if that is ok!