Madison Mayor To Launch Walker Challenge Next Week

Democratic Madison Mayor Paul Soglin says he will be announcing next week that he’s running for governor.

Soglin told The Associated Press on Thursday he’s hired a campaign manager and plans to get into the crowded Democratic primary “barring unforeseen circumstances.”

Madison’s Mayor has long promised he would join the race sometime in January. His hiring of a campaign manager with experience in previous statewide races shows he’s serious about the governor’s race.

Soglin is up for re-election as mayor in April 2019, and said he will announce later whether he plans to run for re-election.

Soglin’s announcement comes at a time when his decision to give former Cuban leader Fidel Castro the key to the city has come under mounting scrutiny from Gov. Scott Walker.

The liberal mayor is defending giving the distinction to Castro.

Soglin visited Cuba three times as mayor. He presented Castro with the key to the famously liberal city of Madison 42 years ago.

Walker is making the 1975 decision by Soglin an early flashpoint in his re-election campaign. Walker said on Twitter that giving a “brutal Communist dictator who violated the human rights of his own people” the key to the city is “extremism even by Madison standards.”

But Soglin said the trips taught him the value of “communication and understanding.”

Soglin was first elected mayor in 1973 and has served on and off in the position for 20 years. Walker is seeking his third term as governor.