In Race For Attorney General, Experience Becomes Heated Issue Between Candidates

The two contenders for state attorney general have been arguing over who has the best experience for the job.

The Republican in the race, Waukesha District Attorney Brad Schimel said that without a doubt, he has a resume that’s superior to Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ’s.

“You cannot compare her experience with mine,” said Schimel. “Six years as D.A. does not compare to 24.”

Happ, for her part, is touting the quality of her experience, not the quantity. She said that what voters want in an attorney general is someone who will stand up for their rights and values and can work across the aisles. She said Schimel comes from the “divide-and-conquer” camp because of his support for three Republican-backed state laws on same-sex marriage, voter ID, and abortion that are all now being challenged in federal court

“I want to be an advocate and a representative and a defender of all of our citizens, not just people who share the same political affiliation as I do,” said Happ.

Schimel, however, said that labeling him as a partisan is unfair, pointing to his record of working with both Republican and Democratic D.A.s to raise salaries for state prosecutors.

“It feels like she wants to paint me in a light that is different than who I am,” said Schimel.

Both candidates say if elected, their priorities would include tackling the state’s heroin epidemic and cracking down on Internet sex crimes that target children.

The first poll results on how voters feel about the race come out next Thursday from pollsters at Marquette University.