Here's the first "spoiler" candidate.......(d*mn)

[a kennedy]

Republicans have found a spoiler candidate to challenge Rep. Jennifer Shilling in this summer's recall election, which would force a Democratic primary and extend the campaign by nearly a month.
James Smith, until recently a member of the La Crosse County GOP’s executive committee, says he is running as a protest candidate.

Smith, a regular fixture this spring at local labor protests this spring where he held signs touting his support for Gov. Scott Walker, said he resigned his party position Monday before announcing his candidacy. He said he does not plan on campaigning aggressively but wants to protest the recall process.

“I want to bring light on the issue that 22,000 signatures can pretty much overturn an election where even the loser got 40,000 votes,” he said Tuesday.
Shilling’s campaign declined to comment Tuesday.

A letter addressed to "Fellow Conservative" and signed by Republican Party 3rd Congressional District chairwoman Maripat Krueger urges recipients to support James Smith's protest candidacy.
The letter, obtained by the Tribune, follows the same template as those sent in other senate districts.

Candidates hoping to get on the special election ballot have until Tuesday to gather 400 valid signatures on nomination papers.

The state GOP on Monday defended a strategy to encourage spoiler candidates to run in recall elections.

http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/article_46e9f096-914d-11e0-8c7b-001cc4c03286.html

[sybylla]

1. Just saw this shared on FB

http://law.justia.com/codes/wisconsin/2010/12/12.05.html

2010 Wisconsin Code
Chapter 12. Prohibited election practices.
12.05 False representations affecting elections.
Share |

12.05
12.05 False representations affecting elections. No person may knowingly make or publish, or cause to be made or published, a false representation pertaining to a candidate or referendum which is intended or tends to affect voting at an election.

12.05 - ANNOT.
History: 1973 c. 334; 1993 a. 175.

12.05 - ANNOT.
A violation of this section does not constitute defamation per se. Tatur v. Solsrud, 174 Wis. 2d 735, 498 N.W.2d 232 (1993).

Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Wisconsin may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

Don't know if this means anything or not. But it's at least interesting to consider the way it might apply here.

[mojowork_n]

2. Wow, it's illegal to lie in order to affect an election?

By that standard, both houses of the legislature, a whole big part of the executive branch, and at least 4/7's of the State Supreme Court would be in *serious* legal jeopardy.

...But this primary thing really doesn't seem right.

If Wisconsin voters are prohibited from crossing party lines to vote in primary elections, how is it right for the candidates to do it, to rig the process?

400 signatures needed to run in a primary isn't much at all.

[sybylla]

3. I know. It's clearly never enforced.

But it might be treated differently if you're misrepresenting yourself in placing yourself falsely on a Democratic ballot.

[sybylla]

4. Spoiler Candidate #3

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=blogs0106&plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&U=ac0bbd46-9442-4b60-a671-5c030427742c&plckPostId=Blog%3Aac0bbd46-9442-4b60-a671-5c030427742cPost%3A7bce5da4-e567-4e38-ace3-7eec9958220c&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

That's a stupid long link, but here's the gist:

A former Republican state representative plans to run as a Democrat against Nancy Nusbaum in an attempt to thwart her efforts to unseat Sen. Rob Cowles in a recall race.

Otto Junkermann, 82 of Allouez, said he thinks “very highly” of Cowles, a Republican also from Allouez, and will run against Nusbaum as a “conservative Democrat.”

“I respect Rob a great deal. I’ve known him, I followed him into the Assembly and took the position he had when he went into the Senate, and I always admired him,” Junkermann said.

Junkermann served in the Assembly as a Republican for one term from 1987-88. He was also a Brown County supervisor from 1982-87 and ran again in 2002, 2004 and 2008 but lost.

[sybylla]

5. Spoiler Candidate #2 is Isaac Weix of Menomonie

He announced Monday that he's running on the Dem ballot in the Harsdorf district.

He ran last year as a puke against Dem Rep. Jeff Smith and lost in a Republican Primary. He didn't even live in the district - but apparently that's legal in Wisconsin.

Word is he also ran as a puke in another race before that.

http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_18218145?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Wisconsin Republicans accused of dirty tricks in recall elections
By Andy Rathbun
[e-mail]
Updated: 06/06/2011 08:04:12 PM CDT

The recall election in Wisconsin's 10th Senate District could be a three-way race.

Sort of.

Isaac Weix, a Republican candidate for state Assembly last year, may be entering the race as a Democrat. Republicans said Monday that they're working on running candidates as Democrats in recall elections against Senate Republicans in order to force primaries and give incumbents more time to campaign.

"It's absolutely nauseating," said the state Democratic Party's official candidate in the 10th District, Shelly Moore. "It's about the most un-American thing I can imagine."

Moore, a teacher at Ellsworth Community High School, has been campaigning against State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, since May. She said she heard at about noon Monday that Weix would enter the campaign as a Democrat....

Edited to add link.

[AleksS]

6. Will he get the signatures?

Sure, 400 isn't much, but is there a chance he won't get that in the next 5-6 days?

[midnight]

7. Signs should be created to include this Gop executive committee position...

James is a former Gop executive committee member. Who resigned only to run as a Dem....