Pace of U.S. Senate primary race heats up; GOP warns election officials to clean up process; more briefs

Talk about it

With 33 days until the Republican primary, Wisconsinites are just starting to pay attention to the U.S. Senate race. Veteran GOP consultant Mark Graul says we’ll see a lot of swings in the polls.

So far, Eric Hovde is the only one of the four Republican candidates to advertise heavily on TV. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he’s spent around $4 million to get himself known.

Two polls this week show Hovde in second place behind Tommy Thompson. The former governor leads 35% to 23% in the latest Marquette Law School poll. Hovde raised his support by 9% from the last poll in mid-June.

The firm of Public Policy Polling says Hovde is even closer to Thompson – just two points behind.

Marquette pollster Charles Franklin says Hovde has enjoyed a long period to establish himself without being challenged.

“(But) we’ll see what happens as we get into the real heat of battle,” said Franklin.

Former Congressman Mark Neumann, a distant third, says the polls are already out of date because he’s about to start his ad campaign.

Thompson spokesman Brian Nemoir said voters will want to know more about Hovde, whom Nemoir called “a guy who just moved back here who ran a hedge fund.”

Sean Lansing of Hovde’s camp said the polls show that voters are looking for a fresh face with new ideas, as opposed to Thompson’s “lifetime in politics and government.”

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald is running a distant fourth and said Hovde’s money has been the big story so far.

The Marquette poll shows only Thompson leading Democratic nominee Tammy Baldwin in head-to-head polling for November.

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GOP warns election officials to clean up process

State Assembly Republican leaders are telling election officials to solve some major problems at the polls before November.

Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, Joint Committee on Finance co-chair Robin Vos and others wrote the Government Accountability Board yesterday.

They said the June 5 Senate recall election in Racine County was “an utter mockery of our system.”

They mentioned problems with voters who did not sign poll books, ballot bags that were tampered with, and voters not meeting the proof-of-residency requirements to register at the polls.

Vos, who’s from Racine County, said the problems are likely occurring in other places as well. He said the Board needs to respond with an improvement plan so the winners and losers in November can have confidence in the results.

The Republicans asked the state board to make sure poll workers and local clerks understand the proof-of-residency laws, that poll books are signed properly and that communities verify the addresses of new voters within 10 days of an election.

“Our state can’t have our election process undermined by questions of potential fraud,” said the GOP letter.

Former Senate Republican Van Wanggaard lost the Racine area recall vote, and he cited possible fraud in ordering a recount. He decided not to challenge his loss in court, saying he did not have a “smoking gun” which proved actual fraud.

Democrats blamed procedural mistakes by election workers, and they’ve also called for better training of poll workers.

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‘Scooby Doo’ cartoon features Rhinelander mascot

Rhinelander’s mystical Hodag will be featured in a TV cartoon next month.

The Hodag and the man who discovered it will be portrayed in an episode of “Scooby Doo, Mystery Incorporated” Aug. 3 on Cartoon Network.

The Hodag is a fanged reptilian creature which was said to enjoy eating dogs.

Wisconsin logger Eugene Shepard said he discovered the Hodag in 1893. In the cartoon, he’ll portray an entertainer who travels with a curio wagon and a stuffed Hodag.

Lara Reed of the Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce said her community is excited about the attention that the Scooby Doo cartoon will bring. She hopes it encourages viewers to visit what she calls “the real Hodag.”

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Deaf teen killed at party for dad

A 17-year-old boy who was murdered in Milwaukee this week was a student at the Wisconsin School for the Deaf in Delavan.

State school Superintendent Tony Evers said Dequan Carter was at a party for his father when he was shot and killed. Police said three others were wounded in the incident, which occurred just before midnight Tuesday at a home on Milwaukee’s north side.

Police said the party was for “a relative of the victims who had just been released from prison.”

Carter’s cousin Princess said a man just walked up and started shooting at party-goers “out of nowhere.” Relatives said the suspect then ran off. They did not know who he was. He’s still at large.

Princess Carter said three of her cousins were the ones who were wounded. One was critically hurt. Police said the other two had non-life-threatening injuries.

Superintendent Evers said the shooting “didn’t have to happen, and it is a tragedy that this young man left us too soon.”

Princess Carter said Dequan was a happy teen despite being deaf.

The state School for the-Deaf says its Pupil Services Team will provide support for students and staffers who want it.

The killing was the 42nd in Milwaukee this year.

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Risser will lead state Senate once more

The nation’s longest-serving state legislator is about to become the Wisconsin Senate’s president – again.

The Senate will hold an organizational meeting next Tuesday, and leaders of both parties have agreed to elect Madison Democrat Fred Risser as the body’s new president.

Democrats officially took over the majority in the Senate Wednesday after state officials certified Democrat John Lehman’s victory over Racine incumbent Van Wanggaard in their June 5 recall election.

Risser has been in the Legislature since 1956. It’s no surprise that he’s held the Senate’s presidency a couple times in the past since it normally goes to the most senior member of the majority party. He will replace Neenah Republican Mike Ellis.

Democrats also plan to name Milwaukee’s Tim Carpenter as the president pro tem. Carpenter replaces Joe Leibham of Sheboygan.

Democrats will control the Senate at least until November when half the seats are up for election.

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Drug counselor accused of having sex with client

SHEYBOYGAN COUNTY -- A former drug and alcohol counselor for the Sheboygan County Health and Human Services Department has been charged with having a sexual affair with a client.

Ralph Radey, 57, appeared in court Wednesday on three felony counts of sexual exploitation by a therapist.

Prosecutors said a 41-year-old woman was getting counseling from Radey for about 3 1/2 years when he promised to take her to a resort if she lost weight and remained sober. That was about a 1 ½ years ago.

Prosecutors said Radey also met the woman for sex three times between last December and April.

A judge set bond at $10,000 cash. Radey is due back in court on Monday.

He was fired just over a month ago before the charges were filed. Sheboygan County officials would not say why, but they didn’t they know the details of his court case until after he was let go.

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Wisconsin still top mink producer

Wisconsin still produces more mink than any other state in the country.

The U. S. Department of Agriculture said the Badger State made 1.1 million mink pelts last year – a big increase of 19% from the previous year.

That’s much more than second-place Utah, which produced almost 700,000 pelts.

Two-thirds of Wisconsin’s minks were black. The rest were blue iris, mahogany, white and sapphire.

One of every three mink pelts made in the U.S. comes from Wisconsin. The national output rose by 9% last year to around 3.1 million pelts. They were valued at $292 million – up 25% from 2010.

Tags: state news, legislature, wisconsin