It is hard to believe we are barely a month into 2010. President Obama was sworn into office just over a year ago and again we are on the cusp of another important election cycle.
Nationally, the talking heads will be focusing on this mid-term election as a referendum on Congress and President Obama’s two years in office. Here in Wisconsin, voters face a scenario they haven’t seen in generations, the incumbent governor is not seeking re-election.
Governor Jim Doyle, who has held statewide elective office since 1991 when he was first sworn in as attorney general and then as governor since 2003, announced last August he will not seek a third term as governor.
Insiders in Washington speculate Governor Doyle’s decision not to run makes Wisconsin a key battleground state and one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country.
By announcing his intentions more than a year in advance, Governor Doyle has certainly given pundits plenty of time to speculate about which candidates will step forward with hopes of becoming the 45th Governor of Wisconsin.
While many names have been tossed around over the last few months, at this point there seem to be three front-runners; Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former Congressman Mark Neumann.
Tom Barrett (D-Milwaukee)
Mayor Barrett (age 56) has served as the Mayor of Milwaukee since 2004. Prior to being elected mayor, Barrett ran for governor and finished a close second to Governor Doyle in the Democratic primary in 2002.
Barrett began his career in politics when he was elected to the State Assembly in 1984 where he served two terms before running for the State Senate in 1988. In 1992 Barrett successfully ran for congress where he served the 5th congressional district until his bid for governor in 2002.
Scott Walker (R-Wauwatosa)
Scott Walker (age 42) has served as the County Executive of Milwaukee since April of 2002 when he was elected in a special election and has been successfully re-elected since.
Walker was elected in 1993 to the State Assembly in a special election to represent the people of the 14th Assembly District. He served this district which essentially covers Wauwatosa until his election as County Executive.
Mark Neumann (R-Nashotah)
After several unsuccessful congressional bids in 1992 and 1993, Mark Neumann (age 56) was elected to Congress in 1994 where he served two terms representing the 1st congressional district of Wisconsin.
In 1998, Neumann relinquished his seat in the House of Representatives for an unsuccessful challenge of Senator Russ Feingold during his first re-election effort.
Because the front-runners are known political commodities, the Wisconsin Funeral Directors Association (WFDA) has established a working relationship with these candidates over the years. Going forward we hope to sit down and open a dialogue with each of the candidates to get their views on important issues to the WFDA such as combo law and caps on medical assistance funerals.
As a strong association with more than 1,000 funeral directors, it is important WFDA flexes its political muscle in this election cycle. If every member contributes just $100 we can raise more than $100,000 to support candidates we believe can make a difference in Madison.
As republicans fight to retake the Governor’s mansion and democrats try to build on their recent success there is no doubt 2010 is shaping up to be an engaging election cycle. Please consider making a contribution to Friends of Wisconsin Funeral Directors today or in the near future in order to protect our future.
Visit the following websites to learn more about the three leading candidates for governor:
