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Yo, Peg! Wanna run? Raise the funds
Posted: Feb. 1, 2005
Spivak & Bice
Cary Spivak &
Dan Bice
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Does somebody need to wake up Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and remind her that her job is in jeopardy?
Because the first-term AG, who's carrying heavy political baggage, seems to be asleep at the switch.
Campaign finance reports show that Lautenschlager raised all of $12,975 during the second half of last year. Of that, 10 grand came from one union - the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers - and all but one of her individual contributions came from friends and family in her hometown of Fond du Lac.
Total campaign cash on hand after two years on the job: $36,182.
Not a bad campaign nest egg - if you're running for mayor of Fond du Lac.
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But Lautenschlager, of course, is running for re-election as the state's top cop, and three Republicans have said they either are in the race or seriously considering running. She became an attractive target last February when she was busted for drunken driving in her state car.
Early and often is the usual mode
Normally, an incumbent state officeholder - especially one who has obvious liabilities - raises money early and often to scare off potential challengers. But all Lautenschlager and her allies are offering up are explanations for why the candidate and her staff continue to sit on their hands.
"Her excuses for not raising money are running out pretty quick," said one Republican strategist.
Not really.
One Lautenschlager pal pointed out Tuesday that the election isn't until November 2006. "The next campaign finance report is due June 30 - call me back then," the ally said.
Which is exactly what the Lautenschlager camp was saying six months ago.
Lautenschlager's fund-raiser, Melissa Mulliken, who was paid $4,000 in September, said most of the money was collected at one event in Fond du Lac last fall. But fund raising came to a halt after that, Mulliken said, as Lautenschlager continued to undergo treatment for breast cancer.
"Peg's priorities over the last couple of months were twofold," Mulliken said. "Doing her job for the people and Wisconsin, and getting better."
Makes sense, but ranking Dems warn that the Republicans aren't taking a break from shaking the money trees or attacking Lautenschlager.
One Democratic campaign strategist estimated that Lautenschlager will need at least $1 million to keep her job.
"She has got to reinvent a positive image for herself," said the Dem, who is pals with Gov. Jim Doyle, a frequent foe of the AG.
The Doyle friend added that, despite being a career pol, Lautenschlager has always had trouble hitting up fat cats for cash.
"It's rare to make it to this level in politics without learning how to raise money," he said.
Plenty of action on the GOP side
Already, it's looking like it is going to be an expensive race on the Republican side.
The first announced candidate, Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher, just dropped 15 grand of his own money into his fledgling account.
State Rep. Mark Gundrum of New Berlin, who's considering a run, is sitting on $65,619 - a decent sum for a lawmaker who has been in office only since 1998.
J.B.Van Hollen, who this week quit his job as U.S. attorney in Madison so he could run for AG, doesn't have anything in a campaign bank yet because federal law prevented him from raising money while he was a prosecutor. But word on the street is that Van Hollen is a pretty rich guy in his own right and has strong connections to ex-Gov. Tommy G. Thompson's vast network of contributors.
When they're not beating up on each other, the Republican candidates are sure to spend much of their time on the campaign trial whacking Lautenschlager.
Mulliken reluctantly admits that her boss will be the target of some tough attacks, though she was evasive on how or if the campaign will fight back.
"Republicans have been nasty before, and I assume they'll be nasty again," Mulliken said.
She contended that the Lautenschlager kitchen cabinet is concerned only with how to run a positive campaign and has not talked about the best strategy to counter the inevitable attacks.
Yeah, and the Philadelphia Eagles are planning their offensive strategy for Sunday's Super Bowl without considering what defense the New England Patriots will throw at them.
But the Doyle Dem said Lautenschlager has no choice but to raise and spend big money to counter the GOP. Otherwise, she'll get trounced at the polls.
"Peg has got to be able to play offense and defense," the Dem said. "It's unlike a normal AG's race, where you typically go out and say you're tough on crime.
"She has to convince people that she deserves a second chance, then go out there and defend herself.
"You can't do one or the other - she has to do both."
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