This is my first diary so please excuse any mistakes I make in publishing it. I am so happy to see all the attention that Wisconsin is getting on this site and since I have been a "lurker" for years I am not surprised. There is going to be a special election held for the 94th District Assembly seat and here is a chance to help get a good Dem into a seat that has been held by the Republicans since 1994. More information below.
When Governor Walker was elected he appointed Republican Mike Huebsch to his administration leaving the 94th district seat open. He has yet to call the special election but today a great candidate threw her hat in to the ring. Her name is Cheryl Hancock. And to be completely honest she is my mother. She has been running against Mike since 2008 and she is the only candidate who came close to beating him, losing by 1000 votes the first time. Of course we all know the Republican revolution that swept the state in 2010 so she lost by 2000 votes then. She has been planning on waiting for the Governor to call the special election to make her announcement but with recent events she knew she needed to get in NOW. She has dedicated her life to public service. She started her career at the University in fundraising and has been the Executive Director of the local Red Cross chapter for many years. She has been serving on our local School Board since 1996. Cheryl comes from a strong union family and her priority for running has always been because of the school funding formula. She is on the side of the working class. She is a strong Democrat. No her getting elected will not give the Dem's a majority in Wisconsin, but it will be bringing one more Democratic voice to the Capital there and as we all can see that is STRONGLY needed. I am going to periodically update everyone on how the campaign is going. This is my first call for help. i will get her information posted on how to donate. She will be a wonderful voice in Madison and needs all the help she can get because the Republicans will be throwing alot of money at this race to keep the seat. I will also post volunteer information for those who may be in Wisconsin.
Updated by JessCO at Thu Feb 17, 2011, 10:15:56 PM
I wanted to post some of her announcement speech from today:
"Most importantly I know that the only way to work through a crisis such as the one we are facing is to sit down and discuss – face to face – eye to eye the challenges at hand and work to find solutions rather than dictate solutions just because I can.”
This past fall we heard much dialog on how important it was to go to Madison to pass bills that would bring new jobs to the state. With little progress we find ourselves at a crossroads, a state in a financial crisis being substituted by a different kind of crisis.
And those who know me – know I am not one of those candidates who plays it safe just to get elected – let me be clear - I support the continuation of collective bargaining rights for our teachers, nurses, snow-plow drivers, 911 operators, EMTs and all the working people that keep our great state functioning in both the public and private sectors.”