Newsmakers, August 4, 2016

Fall Election Preview-

One of the more intriguing election match ups in the La Crosse area this fall could be the 32nd state Senate race between incumbent Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse…and the person she ousted from the position in a recall election five years ago…Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse.

Before a rematch would happen though, each candidate must survive an August 9 primary. Shilling is being challenged by Democrat Jared Landry of La Farge. Kapanke is in a race with Republican John Sarnowski of Onalaska. Assuming Shilling and Kapanke win those primaries, Chip DeNure of La Crosse will also be on the November 8 ballot as an Independent.

Party leaders expect Shilling and Kapanke to survive the primary challenges, leading to an election rematch between two of the area’s most popular politicians in recent history.

Kapanke, chair of the town of Campbell for many years, was elected first to the state Senate in 2004 and re-elected in 2008. He’s also the owner of the La Crosse Loggers, a college summer league baseball team.

But he fell out of favor with voters in August of 2011, just a couple of months after supporting the controversial Act 10 proposed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, which stripped collective bargaining rights from most state employees. Nine state senators (6 GOP and 3 Democrats) and Gov. Walker faced a recall that year, and Kapanke holds the distinction of being the only politician who was recalled, losing to Shilling who received 55 percent of the vote.

Shilling also started her political career at the local level as a member of the La Crosse County Board. She was first elected to the state Assembly in 2000, and remained there until she beat Kapanke in the recall. She was re-elected to the Senate in the fall of 2012 with 58 percent of the vote.

Depending on their political leaning, party insiders see Kapanke and Shilling as very well-known and popular choices for voters in La Crosse, Vernon and Crawford Counties.

But Viterbo University history professor Keith Knutson believes it will be a challenge for voters to forget how Kapanke voted on Act 10.

“And I think that sense of emotion has not been lost among the supporters of Jennifer when she defeated Dan in the recall,” he said.

Knutson said Kapanke must also overcome two other factors: it’s a presidential election year, which in recent years means more Democratic voters turn out, and the fact Gov. Walker remains unpopular, with recent polls suggesting a job approval rating in the high 30s.

UW-La Crosse political science professor Tim Dale said there are important races for state legislature across Wisconsin, and in the end, voters may ultimately be left asking themselves who do they trust to be in charge of state government.

“I think there’s so much difference between the candidates that we’re talking about big philosophical questions about the purpose of government,” he said. “We’re talking about big philosophical questions about what the state should spend its money on, or if the state should spend its money at all on certain things. This is where the mobilization of voters is really going to be where this election comes down to in particular districts.”

Republicans control not only the executive branch, but both legislative branches in Wisconsin. The GOP controls the state Senate 19-14 with a 63-36 majority in the state Assembly.

– John Davis