With the decision of Gov. Doyle (D-Wis) to not run for re-election (likely due to poor poll numbers), we have been wondering who will step up and compete against likely Republican challenger, currently Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker (who has been unsuccessful in a past attempt). What we were hoping may be coming true.
http://www.620wtmj.com/...
Yes, Tom Barrett, the current mayor of Milwaukee and recent local and national hero, is expected to make an annoucement of his decision this weekend and, from the activity of campaign staff, it looks like he's decided to throw his hat in. He's the former Congressman from Milwaukee who gave up his seat to run for Milwaukee Mayor. He's been a good one, too.
This past summer, he gained national attention after intervening in a domestic dispute while returning to his car from the State Fair and being injured as a result. Since the incident, he has avoided media attention that the typical politician would exploit to the moon, to concentrate on his job as mayor. Many of us hoped he would decide to run for the Governorship.
He gets high marks as mayor and while it would be a loss for Milwaukee if he becomes governor, his work ethic, ability to solve problems, and fairly liberal views make him ideal as a replacement for Doyle.
His challenger is likely to be current Milwaukee County Executive, Republican Scott Walker, who has run for Governor and lost before. He's raised over a million dollars so far with Republican and corporate donors ready, willing, and able to to stuff more into his coffers. Walker, after nearly running the entire county into the ground by cutting and privatizing most of its services, can't wait for the opportunity to ruin the entire state.
There is a campaign site up, but this may just be a placeholder pending a decision on his part. Let's hope not.