[h=3]By Judy Keen, USA TODAY[/h] Updated
Wisconsin voters are deciding Tuesday whether to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who came to national prominence in 2011 after he launched a successful battle to end collective-bargaining rights for most state workers.
Wanda Sonnentag encourages voters to participate in Wisconsin's recall election from the Rock County Democratic Party Headquarters on Monday in Janesville, Wisconsin.
The election is being closely watched nationally for clues about fallout facing other elected officials who cut workers' benefits to ease crunched budgets and for the implications in the presidential race between President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney in a state both would like to win.
"The stakes are quite high," says Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor. "If Walker wins it will be vindication" and if he loses, "it would be a rebuke to the Republican agenda."
Voters are deciding whether to remove Walker, 44, from office and replace him with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 58. In the 2010 gubernatorial election, Walker defeated Barrett, 52%-46%. Polls show Walker with a narrow lead.
By Scott Olson, Getty Images
Democrat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election on Tuesday.
Recalls of four Republican state senators also are on Tuesday's ballot. The results in those races could shift control of the Senate, which is now divided 16-16.
The recall election is the culmination of a bitter battle that began in February 2011 when Walker announced his plan to erase a $137 million budget shortfall in part by requiring state workers to give up collective-bargaining rights and pay more for health insurance and pension benefits.
Walker's proposal triggered massive protests in the state Capitol in Madison and prompted 14 Democratic state senators to leave the state for three weeks. Walker signed the legislation into law in March 2011.
"Unfortunately, Wisconsin has become in some ways a microcosm of the partisan wars that have been raging nationally," says Kathleen Dolan, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political scientist.
Regardless of the recall's results, she says, it will take some time for the state to recover from the divisive debate and revive bipartisan spirit in the Legislature. "We really are at a place of sort of paralysis," Dolan says.
The amount of out-of-state money flowing to the campaigns here and the appearances of high-profile supporters of Walker and Barrett are evidence of the race's national overtones. More than $62 million has been spent by the candidates and outside groups. Much of the $30 million raised by Walker came from outside the state. Barrett has spent about $4 million; most of his donors live in Wisconsin.
Former president Bill Clinton campaigned with Barrett, and fellow Republican Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana appeared with Walker. State election officials expect turnout in the 60-65% range.
No Republican presidential candidate has won Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984, and Obama defeated Republican John McCain here in 2008, 56%-42%.
Brandon Scholz, a Republican lobbyist and campaign strategist based in Madison, says a Walker victory would weaken the clout of the labor unions that provide campaign cash and infrastructure for Democratic presidential candidates.
"It would be a significant blow," he says. "It would … say to them, 'You cannot rule the roost.' "
Paul Maslin, a Madison-based Democratic pollster, thinks some independent voters will vote for Walker today and Obama in November — and for the same reason. "They're saying, 'I think the economy is getting a little better in Wisconsin,' " he says.
Dolan cautions against reading too many presidential implications into Wisconsin's political fight. "Will Obama's chance of winning Wisconsin be made harder if Walker wins? Sure, maybe a little," she says. "But what's going on here is so episodic and so idiosyncratic."
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Wisconsin voters are deciding Tuesday whether to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who came to national prominence in 2011 after he launched a successful battle to end collective-bargaining rights for most state workers.
Scott Olson, Getty Images
Wanda Sonnentag encourages voters to participate in Wisconsin's recall election from the Rock County Democratic Party Headquarters on Monday in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Wanda Sonnentag encourages voters to participate in Wisconsin's recall election from the Rock County Democratic Party Headquarters on Monday in Janesville, Wisconsin.
The election is being closely watched nationally for clues about fallout facing other elected officials who cut workers' benefits to ease crunched budgets and for the implications in the presidential race between President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney in a state both would like to win.
"The stakes are quite high," says Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor. "If Walker wins it will be vindication" and if he loses, "it would be a rebuke to the Republican agenda."
- [h=3]STORY: Recall targets Walker, reversal of union rights[/h]
Voters are deciding whether to remove Walker, 44, from office and replace him with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 58. In the 2010 gubernatorial election, Walker defeated Barrett, 52%-46%. Polls show Walker with a narrow lead.
Democrat Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is trying to unseat Republican Gov. Scott Walker in a recall election on Tuesday.
Recalls of four Republican state senators also are on Tuesday's ballot. The results in those races could shift control of the Senate, which is now divided 16-16.
The recall election is the culmination of a bitter battle that began in February 2011 when Walker announced his plan to erase a $137 million budget shortfall in part by requiring state workers to give up collective-bargaining rights and pay more for health insurance and pension benefits.
Walker's proposal triggered massive protests in the state Capitol in Madison and prompted 14 Democratic state senators to leave the state for three weeks. Walker signed the legislation into law in March 2011.
"Unfortunately, Wisconsin has become in some ways a microcosm of the partisan wars that have been raging nationally," says Kathleen Dolan, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political scientist.
Regardless of the recall's results, she says, it will take some time for the state to recover from the divisive debate and revive bipartisan spirit in the Legislature. "We really are at a place of sort of paralysis," Dolan says.
The amount of out-of-state money flowing to the campaigns here and the appearances of high-profile supporters of Walker and Barrett are evidence of the race's national overtones. More than $62 million has been spent by the candidates and outside groups. Much of the $30 million raised by Walker came from outside the state. Barrett has spent about $4 million; most of his donors live in Wisconsin.
Former president Bill Clinton campaigned with Barrett, and fellow Republican Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana appeared with Walker. State election officials expect turnout in the 60-65% range.
No Republican presidential candidate has won Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984, and Obama defeated Republican John McCain here in 2008, 56%-42%.
Brandon Scholz, a Republican lobbyist and campaign strategist based in Madison, says a Walker victory would weaken the clout of the labor unions that provide campaign cash and infrastructure for Democratic presidential candidates.
"It would be a significant blow," he says. "It would … say to them, 'You cannot rule the roost.' "
Paul Maslin, a Madison-based Democratic pollster, thinks some independent voters will vote for Walker today and Obama in November — and for the same reason. "They're saying, 'I think the economy is getting a little better in Wisconsin,' " he says.
Dolan cautions against reading too many presidential implications into Wisconsin's political fight. "Will Obama's chance of winning Wisconsin be made harder if Walker wins? Sure, maybe a little," she says. "But what's going on here is so episodic and so idiosyncratic."
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.