Vos files challenge to second recall attempt against him

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is challenging the petition seeking to force a recall election in his district.

Attorneys for Vos submitted a challenge to the petition Friday afternoon, arguing the recall was initiated in the old 63rd Assembly District, which will no longer exist under new legislative maps.

Attorneys also claim the effort has “once again” fallen short of the 6,850 signatures required to force a recall election, and that there are numerous fraudulent and repeat signatures on the petitions.

A statement released by the Racine Recall Committee Friday said they are “extremely confident” they have met the required threshold.

“We are confident in the signatures we have gathered and will defend them against any attempts to undermine this democratic process,” a spokesperson for the group stated.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has until June 28 to determine whether enough valid signatures have been submitted to initiate a recall election.

In April, the WEC voted unanimously to reject the first attempt by the group to force a recall. That time, the group gathered only 4,989 of the 6,850 signatures required.

Vos, R-Rochester, is the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin Assembly history, and has been a powerful force behind Republican policy wins in the state.

But he angered conservative activists with past criticism of former President Donald Trump. Activists also took issue with Vos for blocking an effort to impeach WEC administrator Meagan Wolfe.

In its statement Friday, the group referred to Vos using an abbreviation for the Chinese Communist Party and called him “a threat to our Republic.”

Vos has in the past referred to leaders of the recall committee as “whack jobs,” “morons” and grifters.