In Mary Burke, Democrats finally land a candidate to challenge Scott Walker

After considering the race for at least three months, Madison school board member Mary Burke has finally decided to challenge Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Burke is a former executive at Trek Bicycle, the company founded by her father, and she served as head of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce under Gov. Jim Doyle from 2005 to 2007.

Burke's only electoral experience was her school board campaign last year, so her name recognition is limited, but she has one virtue other Wisconsin Democrats lack: She's actually willing to run against Walker. After last year's failed recall, virtually all of the most prominent Democratic names in the Badger State seemed to grow gun-shy at the prospect of taking on Walker, which prompted the party to recruit the relatively unknown Burke.

Burke has another advantage, which is that she's personally wealthy and could self-fund, though (as is typically the case with rich candidates) she hasn't committed to any specific dollar figure. But a recent PPP poll found Walker with a 48-42 edge, so if that's accurate, Burke has a tough fight ahead of her. Daily Kos Elections currently rates the contest as Likely Republican.