The organizers of a recall drive against Wisconsin State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald say they have gathered enough signatures. They are holding a press conference as I write this.
From the local NBC affiliate's web site:
From NBC 15's Rachelle Baillon: Organizers say they have enough signatures for a recall of Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald .
We'll bring you more on this story as it becomes available.
Recall organizers still have the rest of today and all day tomorrow to increase their margin to help fight off any challenges from Fitzgerald.
This is the one they said couldn't be done. The Democratic Party and United Wisconsin both passed on this opportunity, so one local citizen, Lori Compas of Fort Atkinson, started the recall against Fitz on her own.
For more go to recallfitz.com.
UPDATE: Go here For good background on how wedding photographer Lori Compas and her dedicated volunteers pulled off this major shocker.
I grew up in Fitz's district. My parents still live there (and signed the petition!) Let me assure you, this was no easy task. Fitzgerald was considered to be in one of the safest Republican districts in the state. The anger is real, my friends. The anger is real!
And the recall is real, Senator Scott Fitzgerald. You dismissed it, you laughed it off, now you are flailing about filing frivolous complaints with the election board claiming they got the deadline wrong. Save it, loser. Time for you to hit up your out-of-state corporate sponsors for some campaign donations. The days of FitzWalkerstan are numbered.
UPDATE 2 (hat-tip stcroix cheesehead): More from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I love this part:
Fitzgerald filed a complaint with election officials Thursday arguing the collection of signatures must end Friday, rather than Saturday, because recall organizers have just 60 days to gather signatures.
Election officials -- backed by the state Department of Justice -- believe signatures can be collected through Saturday because the 60-day clock did not start to tick until Nov. 16, a day after Compas registered her committee with the state and began collecting signatures.
...
"That's a kid not winning Monopoly throwing the board up at the end of the game," said recall volunteer Sarah Hammer, a Fort Atkinson nurse.
UPDATE 3: Just returned from the noon Solidarity Sing Along that we have been holding every weekday at the state capitol since March, 2011. As is our custom on Fridays, we sang outside today. It was a balmy 20 degrees with brisk northwest winds and a light snow. Lori Compas was still in Madison after her press conference and stopped by to give us the news personally. From where I stood, she looked to be about 5'3" tall and maybe 110 lbs. Charming and polite, too, but obviously as tough as anyone in Wisconsin this past year. Her voice was a little raw, but we heard her loud and clear and gave her a sustained chant of "Thank You! Thank You!" Here is video of Lori at the Sing Along:
...and if you think this is a partisan exercise in futility, just watch this lifelong Republican who spoke at today's press conference: