Elections Update – June 6th, 2014

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Nomination Papers Due to GAB

Candidates for the upcoming state elections had until Monday, June 2nd to get all their nomination papers and signatures into the Government Accountability Board. Candidates who successfully turned in the required amount of signatures to the GAB will be in on the primary and general election ballots on August 12th, and November 4th, respectively.

Statewide constitutional office candidates, such as governor and lieutenant governor, require 2,000 signatures. State Senate candidates must hand in at least 400 signatures, and candidates for the State Assembly must have 200 signatures.

To see the complete list of candidates for all offices, go to the Hamilton Consulting’s Elections Coverage website.

Bill Folk leaves Secretary of State race

Bill Folk, a Republican, left the race for Secretary of State at the end of May. Folk came in third at the Wisconsin Republican Convention to receive the nomination from the party. Representative Garey Bies narrowly beat him, but Julian Bradley received the party’s endorsement for secretary of state.

Folk said in a statement that the Legislature would not be interested in reforming the Secretary of State office in its dealings with the Government Accountability Board (GAB), as he is want to do should he have been elected.

With Folk out of the race, that leaves just Bies and Bradley in the Republican primary for secretary of state. Current Secretary of State Doug La Follette will run on the Democratic ticket for the seat.

Vinehout renews bid for State Senate

Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), who ducked out of a bid for governor this winter after sustaining injuries during a winter car accident, will run for re-election for her State Senate seat.

Vinehout, who was first elected to the State Legislature in 2006, will have a Republican challenger after voters decide on August 12th between Bill Ingram and Mel Pittman.

There are seven open State Senate races, among the seventeen seats, all odd-numbered, being decided this election cycle. The open Senate seats are:

  1. Senator Tim Cullen, Democrat, 15th SD
  2. Senator Mike Ellis, Republican, 19th SD
  3. Senator Bob Jauch, Democrat, 25th SD
  4. Senator Neal Kedzie, Republican, 11th SD
  5. Senator Joseph Leibham, Republican, 9th SD (Running for 6th Congressional District Seat, vacated by Tom Petri)
  6. Senator John Lehman, Democrat, 21st SD (Running for Lieutenant Governor)
  7. Senator Dale Schultz, Republican, 17th SD