State Sen. Lehman Joins Race For Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor

From Ballotpedia

November 20, 2013

State Sen. John Lehman

By Greg Janetka

MADISON, Wisconsin: Democrats got their first candidate for Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor this week as state Sen. John Lehman announced his intention to run for the statewide position rather than seek re-election.[1]

Lehman has served the people of Racine in District 21 since defeating Van Wanggaard (R) in a recall election in June 2012. Lehman previously held the seat from 2007-2011, losing it to Wanggaard in the November 2010 election.

Following last year's Republican-led redistricting, District 21 became a much more conservative district, leaving Lehman little chance of re-election.[2] In his announcement, however, Lehman said his decision was based on the fact that no other candidates were stepping up for Democrats. “There was no one else, as I talked to folks, running for lieutenant governor. I think [Democrats] have a really good chance in this November election.”[3]

If another Democrat does declare in the race, Lehman would face a primary for the nomination in August. The nominee is then paired up with the party's gubernatorial candidate and they run on a shared ticket. Currently Mary Burke is the only declared Democratic contender for governor. However, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout is considering a bid as well.

On the Republican side, Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch are the presumptive nominees. Walker's name has been bandied about as a potential candidate for President in 2016, something that gained traction this week with his release of a book entitled, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge.” Although he emphatically stated it is "not a campaign book," he has not ruled out a presidential run and declined to pledge to serve a full four year term if re-elected. That possibility has focused more attention on the lieutenant governor, who would automatically take over the position.[4]

See also

Ballotpedia News
  • Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor
  • Wisconsin Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014
  • Wisconsin gubernatorial election, 2014

Footnotes

  1. Badger Herald, "Sen. John Lehman announces run for lieutenant governor," November 19, 2013
  2. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sen. John Lehman to run for lieutenant governor," November 18, 2013
  3. Wisconsin Public Radio, "State Sen. John Lehman Will Run For Lieutenant Governor," November 18, 2013
  4. Wisconsin State Journal, "Scott Walker says 'Unintimidated' is not a campaign book amid presidential run rumors," November 19, 2013



Categories: [Wisconsin 2013 news] [November 2013] [State executive news, 2013]


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