Recall effort against Wisconsin Gov. Walker begins

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker shakes hands with law enforcement officials after a news conference on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, in Madison, Wis. Political foes hoping to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker over his moves to significantly curb union rights in Wisconsin planned a late-night rally and early morning pajama parties to officially kick off the effort on Monday. More than 100 events were planned across the state Tuesday to begin collecting the more than 540,000 signatures required to get a recall election on Wisconsin's ballot next year. Supporters have until Jan. 17 to turn in signatures. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker shakes hands with law enforcement officials after a news conference on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, in Madison, Wis. Political foes hoping to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker over his moves to significantly curb union rights in Wisconsin planned a late-night rally and early morning pajama parties to officially kick off the effort on Monday. More than 100 events were planned across the state Tuesday to begin collecting the more than 540,000 signatures required to get a recall election on Wisconsin's ballot next year. Supporters have until Jan. 17 to turn in signatures. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)

Maryland Gov. Martin O?Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, speaks Monday, Nov. 14, 2011 at the National Press Club in Washington. O'Malley said that the DGA would ?be in there with both feet,? to help elect a Democrat governor of Wisconsin, if Republican Gov. Scott Walker is removed from office in a recall effort there. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

FILE - In this March 1, 2011 file photo, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker addresses a joint session of the Legislature at the state Capitol in Madison, Wis. Political foes hoping to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker over his moves to significantly curb union rights in Wisconsin planned a rally for late Tuesday night, Nov. 14, 2011 and early morning pajama parties to officially kick off the effort. As opponents of Walker begin the massive effort this week of collecting more than half a million signatures to force a recall election, Democrats are not close to having a candidate to oppose him. (AP Photo/Andy Manis, File)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) ? Opponents of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, spurred by anger over his successful push to remove nearly all collective bargaining rights from most public workers, blanketed Wisconsin on Tuesday to launch an unprecedented effort to gather 540,000 signatures and force a recall election.

The petition drive began in the early morning hours with rallies and pajama parties. More than 100 events were planned across Wisconsin on Tuesday as supporters tried to collect an average of 9,000 signatures a day to meet the target.

Lisa Tareski of Milwaukee, who voted for Walker, was one of eight people who won a contest sponsored by the Democratic Party to be the first to sign the petitions.

"I want to fix my mistake and be one of the first to tell Scott Walker that he did not have my full support in 2010 and he never will," Tareski said in a statement.

Walker recall organizers hope to tap ongoing anger over the collective bargaining law, which took away public employee unions' power to negotiate anything other than wage increases no greater than the rate of inflation, and build on momentum from last week's vote rejecting a similar law in Ohio. Wisconsin doesn't allow for a referendum challenging its law to be put on the ballot, so opponents are targeting Walker and at least three state senators for recall.

Two potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates, along with a citizen who said she was never before involved in politics, delivered to state elections officials a signed filing required in the recall process.

"We will not only gather 540,000 signatures, we will return Wisconsin to the values we share," said Kathleen Falk, a former Dane County executive who is considering running against Walker. She was joined by Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Wisconsin Professional Firefighters union and another possible candidate.

A rally to gather signatures from Walker's neighbors was planned for Tuesday outside his home in the Milwaukee suburb of Wauwatosa. Walker splits his time between that house and the governor's mansion in Madison.

He said organizing such an event outside his house, where his two teenage sons live, crossed the line.

"You see a total disregard for people's families and others here," Walker said in an interview Tuesday on WTMJ-AM in Milwaukee. "I do think that's crossing the line and I think most people in Wisconsin would agree with that, no matter where they're at in the spectrum."

The governor said Monday he was trying not to get distracted by the recall and would remain focused on his 2010 campaign pledge to grow jobs in the state by 250,000 before the four-year term he was elected to serve is over.

He defended his record and said voters don't want to get stuck in an endless campaign cycle.

"We've made a lot of progress," Walker said. "It's a new day in Wisconsin."

He launched his first television ad of the campaign, defending his record while the words "Recall: No" appeared on the screen. The ad was running statewide, except in Milwaukee, according to Walker's campaign manager Keith Gilkes.

Walker said in an interview that he planned a series of ads with people talking about how his initiatives are working in their communities as well as his plans for the future.

"I think it's important for people to hear my positive vision," he said.

Governors have been recalled from office only twice in U.S. history, in North Dakota in 1921 and in California when voters removed Gov. Gray Davis from office in 2003.

Democrats do not yet have an announced candidate to take on Walker should enough signatures be collected to force an election. The earliest such an election could occur, without any expected delays in verifying the signatures or legal challenges, is March 27. Most expect any election would be later in the spring or in the summer.

Also Tuesday, Democrats filed recall petitions against Sens. Van Wanggaard of Racine, Pam Galloway of Wausau and Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls. Republicans currently hold a one-seat majority in the state Senate after two GOP incumbents were ousted in recall elections this summer.

All three said they would vigorously defend their records.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/apdefault/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2011-11-15-Wisconsin%20Governor-Recall/id-2d8742338e074a5a9f9f7493366b4cf5

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