SALON

Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:56 PM UTC

Dems pour money into Wisconsin

After sitting on the sidelines, the national Democratic Party is finally aiding the effort to recall Scott Walker

By

Topics: Wisconsin Recall, Scott Walker,

Dems pour money into WisconsinSupporters show up in support before a truck with the boxes containing about one million signed recall petitions forms in Madison, Wisconsin January, 17, 2012. (Credit: Reuters/Darren Hauck)

With less than two weeks to go until the recall election of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, national Democrats may finally be taking seriously the race that has become the biggest national flashpoint ahead of the November general elections.

Despite the election’s high visibility, national Democrats had not invested heavily in the race, reportedly upsetting some local Democrats and labor activists who felt hung out to dry after building a movement to gather nearly a million signatures to oust Walker. And while Republicans have poured money and star power into the state, national Dems have gotten a slower start, thanks in part to a Democratic primary that divided labor and party support between two candidates.

But now, the Democratic Governors Association just dropped another $1 million in the race — bringing its total investment to $3 million, more than it’s ever spent in a Wisconsin general — and the DNC is getting directly involved, after sitting on the sidelines.

Last night, DNC Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., sent a fundraising email to millions of activists nationally, urging them to support Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Walker’s Democratic challenger, and calling the election “one of the most important” in the nation. Money raised from the email will go directly to Wisconsin Democrats, and not the national party.

The DNC has already directed $1.4 million to Wisconsin so far this election cycle and Wasserman Schultz will host a fundraiser for Barrett in coming days. DNC spokeswoman Melanie Roussell said the national committee is “fully committed to helping Mayor Barrett win next month’s recall election,” adding that the party will deploy its network of activists and volunteers, and make available its online resources to help Barrett’s ground game. The party plans to be a “key player,” she added.

The Obama campaign has also pitched in with phone banks and canvassing operations, but the president has not visited the state. Obama Campaign spokesperson Ben Finkenbinder told Salon that “Obama for America has been working hand-in-glove with the mayor’s campaign” since he won the Democratic primary, when Obama issued a statement supporting the candidate. “We’re going to continue to work with the campaign to figure out how we can be most helpful in the closing days,” Finkenbinder added.

Republicans long ago nationalized the election, giving Walker a big head start on fundraising and organization. Presumed GOP nominee Mitt Romney has already stumped for Walker, while the next weeks will bring visits from a slew of GOP governors with national ambitions: Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, South Carolina’s Nikki Haley, Virginia’s McDonnell and New Jersey’s Chris Christie.

“[We] are all in as to whatever we need to do,” RNC chairman Reince Priebus told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Indeed, Walker has a huge fund advantage over Barrett, thanks to generous support for out-of-state donors and super PACs. The Republican Governor’s Association just launched its seventh TV ad attacking Barrett yesterday.

The timing of the DNC’s stepped-up effort come as the Barrett campaign is touting a new internal poll, which claims the Democrat is narrowing the gap with Walker. A string of recent polls show Walker ahead by at least 5, and the conventional wisdom has him winning, but Barrett’s poll claims he is down just 2 points, 50-48 percent.

Alex Seitz-Wald

Alex Seitz-Wald is Salon's political reporter. Email him at aseitz-wald@salon.com, and follow him on Twitter @aseitzwald. More Alex Seitz-Wald.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 17 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
Oklahoma senator: Tornado aid “totally different” from Sandy aid
3034 points3035 points | 2185 comments
vote
Anyone Regret Slashing National Weather Service Budget Now?: With GOP-backed cuts to forecasting agency, experts warn future storms will go undetected and more lives lost
979 points980 points | 513 comments
vote
Oklahoma senator wants to offset tornado aid with other cuts
146 points147 points | 54 comments
vote
Horrifying new trend: Posting rapes to Facebook " In Chicago this weekend, prosecutors announced three teenaged boys will tried as adults for aggravated criminal sexual assault after allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl — and posting a video of the attack on Facebook."
30 points31 points | 15 comments
vote
New campaign compares gun control to anti-LGBT discrimination
27 points28 points | 10 comments

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: So long, Sookie Stackhouse

Recommendations