As expected, Republicans won two Milwaukee-area special elections on Tuesday to hold on to seats that had been vacated by members of Gov. Scott Walker’s administration.
Republican Dave Craig, who won the 83rd AD special election with 74 percent of the vote, says his overwhelming win sends a loud message backing Walker’s approach in Madison. Craig’s win means Republicans will keep the seat formerly held by Scott Gunderson, now the executive assistant at Department of Natural Resources.
"It means that people are engaged in this debate," Craig said. "Another thing, it sends a loud message to the governor that what he’s done thus far has been spot on. It means what I’ve been running on — the fact that the spending spree in Madison has to stop and stop right now – has been confirmed."
Craig has been on unpaid leave from his job as an aide to U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville. Craig said he would likely return to that job briefly and then resign as he takes his Assembly seat.
Republican Duey Stroebel says he’s not trying to interpret much of his big win in the heavily GOP 60th AD formerly held by current Department of Transportation Seretary Mark Gottlieb.
"It just means that the priority of the people of this district is to get he state’s fiscal house in order and focus on jobs and the economy after that," he said. "I think they all have their individual beliefs, and they happen to align with what’s going on in the Madison. But I’m not a big believe in mandates or things like that."
Stroebel, 51, operates a real estate management company that he founded. He said he’s going to have to "put some things on the shelf that I do" to properly do his job in the Assembly.
In a third special election on Tuesday, Democrat Steve Doyle won to take over a La Crosse-area seat that had been held by Republicans for 16 years.
See more in the WisPolitics.com Election Blog: http://elections.wispolitics.com.
– WisPolitics.com
