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Kathleen Falk
Candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin

Senator Russ Feingold
Democrat from Wisconsin

Music by Carey Bell, Steve Earle, and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

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Now that the One Minivan Tour has rolled into America’s Dairyland, it’s worth taking a quick peak at three of the hottest races in Wisconsin this fall.

GOVERNOR: A hard-charging challenge from hard-right Congressman Mark Green notwithstanding, Governor Jim Doyle still leads by a few points according to the latest Republican poll. Democrats won’t be able to rest easy before Election Day, because this one is definitely coming down to the wire.

ATTORNEY GENERAL: Democratic Dane County Commissioner Kathleen Falk is one of the talented and articulate players in Wisconsin politics. Nevertheless, Christian fundamentalist Republican nominee J.B. Van Hollen is running a strong race for the GOP. Touting his prosecutorial experience, endorsements from law enforcement (including seven “Democratic” County Sheriffs), and some labor groups, Van Hollen is threatening to become the most reactionary Top Cop in Wisconsin history. A recent poll gives Falk the lead, but this race could also have voters and activists up ’til the wee hours on Election Night.

CONGRESS, 8TH DISTRICT: Democratic Doctor and Businessman Steve Kagen is running a great campaign to pick up a much-needed seat for the Democrats in this Green Bay-based district. GOP Assembly Speaker John Gard is the repugnant Republican version of D.C.’s Denny Hastert and the Culture of Corruption. Among recent shenanigans, John Gard forced anti-death penalty Republicans to be suspiciously absent from the Assembly Floor when voting to place an advisory referendum on the issue on this November’s ballot. One Republican chalked up her absence to a nasty bout of diarrhea contracted at an unnamed pizza parlor! John Gard needs to go down, and various polls have suggested Kagen has a small lead.

All of these swing state races will be very close, so if your wallet isn’t already empty for this cycle, help these Wisconsin candidates win today! And stay on the lookout for the Wisconsin episode coming soon.

There were many interesting races in Wisconsin last night.

Brutal primaries on both sides of the aisle in the Attorney General’s race have been resolved. Incumbent Democrat Peggy Lautenschlager lost renomination to Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. In addition to other controversies, Lautenschlager plead guilty to driving while intoxicated in 2004. A very sad end to a promising political career, but Democrats should be excited by Kathleen Falk’s experience and strong progressive record. Former U.S. Attorney J.B. Van Hollen, a hard-core Christianist who has likened abortion to pre-meditated murder, defeated immigrant-bashing Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher for the GOP nomination. Van Hollen will try to paint Falk as an out-of-touch Madison liberal with no experience as a prosecutor.

In the Green Bay-based 8th Congressional District being vacated by Mark Green to run for Governor, Dr. Steve Kagen defeated former Brown County Comissioner/ex-Republican Nancy Nussbaum and businessman Jamie Wall in the Democratic Primary. Kagen will battle Assembly Speaker John Gard, Wisconsin’s own Tom DeLay, for the seat in November. The NRCC anticipated Kagen’s victory, as they are already running sleazy, misleading attack ads against him. Kagen’s outsider message and career as an allergist and businessman should compare favorably to John Gard’s life as a career politician; Gard has never held full-time employment outside of the State Capitol’s walls. Although the district leans Republican, this is a great opportunity for Democrats to win a new House seat in November.

There’s a hot primary race brewin’ in Wisconsin for Attorney General. The incumbent, Peggy Lautenschlager is facing a stiff primary from Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk. Lautenschlager got in a little trouble a while back when she crashed a government vehicle…while drunk…

From Wikipedia:

In February 2004, Lautenschlager made national headlines after pleading guilty to drunk driving in Dodge County, about an hour away from Madison. A Dodge County sheriff reported to the scene to find her state-owned vehicle in the ditch, and her luckily unharmed inside. Her preliminary breathalizer test at the scene showed that her blood alcohol level was 0.12, 50% above the legal limit of 0.08. Lautenschlager said that she had fallen asleep at the wheel, and had consumed only two glasses of wine earlier that evening. She was arrested, and later released to her husband. She refused a blood test, which is standard for a DUI stop in Wisconsin. (Dodge County Case Number 2004TR001348)

A state Ethics Board investigated Lautenschlger’s case and ruled that some use of the state car for personal use exceeded state-allowed limits. Lautenschlager reimbursed some of the costs and paid a fine of $250. Her driver’s license was also revoked for a year.

Kathleen Falk has been running a solid campaign. They’re organizing to get out the vote and could win this primary over the incumbent in September. Today, Falk’s campaign put out a hard-hitting ad re-introducing the DUI incident, an incident Peggy Lautenschlager won’t soon forget. Neither will her political foes. Check it out.