Senators targeted for recall to submit challenges

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Four Republican state senators targeted for recall faced a Thursday deadline to challenge signatures that could result in voiding any elections to remove them from office.

Petitions were submitted last month to force recall elections for the four state senators, Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Republican Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. Walker's deadline for challenging signatures is Feb. 27 and Kleefisch's is March 5.

• Click here to see the recall petitions

Should the senators file challenges, as expected, petition circulators would have until Tuesday to respond and the lawmakers would then get a chance to counter those arguments. The Government Accountability Board would then decide by March 19 which signatures, if any, are invalid and whether to order recall elections.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, of Juneau, said this week he would challenge more than enough signatures to nullify the recall effort he's facing.

He said he would also argue that newly drawn legislative maps should have been in place for the recall petition drives, not those that were in effect for the prior 10 years. A federal lawsuit over those maps was scheduled to go to trial Feb. 21 in Milwaukee.

Fitzgerald also said he believes circulators were wrongly allowed to circulate petitions against him for 61 days instead of 60.

Circulators submitted an estimated 20,600 signatures to recall Fitzgerald, and would need at least 16,742 to be deemed valid to force the election.

Petitioners also submitted thousands more signatures than would be needed, if upheld, to force elections for the other three senators, Van Wanggaard, of Racine, Terry Moulton, of Chippewa Falls and Pam Galloway, of Wausau.

The recall drives, which have been spearheaded by the Democratic Party, organized labor and concerned citizens, were largely motivated by anger over the Walker-proposed law the Republican-led Legislature pushed through last year that stripped most public workers of collective bargaining rights.

Walker and Republicans argued the changes, which also increase in the amount public workers had to pay for health insurance and pension contributions, were necessary to deal with a $3.6 billion budget. But opponents said the law was intended to cripple the unions, which overwhelmingly back the Democrats.

Nine recall drives were launched last year against six Republican and three Democratic members of the Senate. Two Republicans were ousted, leaving the GOP with a 17-16 majority.

That means Democrats need to pick up only one seat in the four potential recalls this year to take over control. However, any election will occur after the Senate has adjourned for the year and elections in November will determine the makeup of the Senate for 2013.

Supporters of the recall say capturing the majority before those elections will make it easier for Democrats to maintain it going into 2013.

Democratic challengers have emerged for three of the senators.

State Rep. Donna Seidel of Wausau said she would take on Galloway. Former state Rep. Kristin Dexter of Eau Claire will challenge Moulton and former Sen. John Lehman of Racine will run against Wanggaard.

Lori Compas, the woman who organized the recall drive against Fitzgerald, has said she is considering challenging him.