The state Government Accountability Board (GAB) announced today that Representative John Nygren, who filed to run for Dave Hansen's seat, didn't have enough signatures on his nomination papers - he was two short.
The board found Nygren, R-Marinette, had 398 valid signatures, two short of what he needed. Earlier in the afternoon, the board rejected a challenge to Republican David Vanderleest's nomination papers, leaving him the only Republican on the ballot to challenge Dem Sen. Dave Hansen.
That sets up a July 19 election between Vanderleest and Hansen, D-Green Bay.
This is good news - Nygren, as an elected office-holder, could have been a formidable candidate. David VanderLeest, the organizer of the recall effort, maybe not so much...
Recall candidate has long court record...
It's a little surprising that David VanderLeest has decided to run for a legislative seat in a Green Bay recall election.
Because the 34-year-old businessman has much more experience with the judicial branch.
VanderLeest, who headed the recall effort against state Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay), announced today that he'd be a candidate for Hansen's Senate seat. Two other Republicans have already announced.
But they don't have VanderLeest's long court record, including a bankruptcy, a home foreclosure, an unpaid judgment, building code violations and a misdemeanor conviction.
The other two recalls against Democratic senators will apparently have primaries, with Robert Lussow and Kim Simac lined up against Jim Holperin in the 12th district and Fred Ekornaas and Jonathan Steitz running for the republican nomination against Robert Wirch in the 22nd district. For these races, there will be a primary on July 19th and a general election on August 16.
All of the recalls against republican senators, of course, have sham republican candidates running as Democrats to force primaries on July 12. The general elections will be August 9th.
So - We play defense first, for one seat, against a weak candidate. I like the narrative.
FORWARD!