Cory Liebmann, formerly of the self-described “partisan” organization One Wisconsin Now, has sent an unbelievably large open records request to State Representative Leah Vukmir’s office. Among the targets of this fishing expedition is, well, me.
1. All email from 7/1/08 through 1/20/10 for Rep. Vukmir, Dean Cady and Matthew Adamczyk (only in his capacity [...]

Early last year, Democratic sources were wondering whether Vukmir would give up her Assembly seat to challenge Sullivan. They had a right to be concerned.

Despite an Assembly ban on fundraising during the state budget deliberations last year, in the last campaign finance reporting period Vukmir raised over $73,000 more than the incumbent Sullivan. Worse for Sullivan, 60 percent of Vukmir’s contributors live in the Senate district. Only 18 percent of Sullivan’s contributors live in the district.

Sullivan has a slight lead in cash on hand, $94,310.71 to Vukmir’s $84,212.02, but Vukmir has already spent $37,770.78. Sullivan’s report shows a campaign not yet up to speed. In the same reporting period, Sullivan only spent $6,571.30.

In an interview Tuesday night, Vukmir said, “Even in this difficult economy, people are eager to give.”

Publication: Waukesha Freeman (Conley); Date:2010 Jan 07; Section:Opinion; Page Number: 8A

Listecki faces challenges as archbishop

The Milwaukee Archdiocese is blessed with another archbishop. As Jerome Listecki was installed as archbishop of Milwaukee at St. John’s Cathedral in Milwaukee on Monday, he must have wondered if some of the challenges facing him were right in [...]

Politicians can’t always control who endorses them.  However, they can control who they endorse. 
State Senator Jim Sullivan might live to regret this endorsement.  Fresh from her speaking engagement at the very left-wing “Fighting Bob Fest”, Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton announced yesterday Sullivan endorsed her for governor:
”Barbara Lawton has my full support for governor,” said Senator Sullivan.
Lawton [...]

I was cc’ed on the following announcement by Vince Schmuki from WIN, the group behind the failed effort to recall Governor Doyle:
TO THE W.I.N. MEMBERSHIP/ RECALL DOYLE TEAM and Media:
If the news as reported in today’s Journal Sentinel turns out to be true, give all of yourselves a collective pat on the back. You, through [...]

State Senator Jim Sullivan was the lone State Senate Democrat to vote against the state budget. The budget passed anyway. If there wasn’t already pressure on him because of the recall effort, would he have voted for the budget? And would that have made him easier to defeat next year?
We may never [...]

State Representative Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee) is no friend of the Milwaukee school choice program and proved it again with a purely gratuitous move to reduce the enrollment cap for school choice students from 22,500 to 19,500. Readers will remember the fight to set the cap at 22,500, and how much heat Governor Doyle took. [...]

My column in today’s Waukesha Freeman:
Sullivan recall not best option Ousting official over smoking ban misuses voters’ choice
Belly up to the bar and sign a petition. At least that’s what some bar owners and the Citizens for Responsible Government Network are hoping. On Tuesday, they launched an effort to recall [...]

State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) is facing a recall effort in his district because he was one vote in the 25-8 majority that passed a state-wide smoking ban. Unfortunately for Sullivan, he’s at the top of the GOP target list and one of the tavern owners in his district happens to be a staff [...]

The Associated Press infamously asked, what comes after Senator Kennedy? Apparently Massachusetts State Senator James Marzilli is looking to become an honorary Kennedy.
Marzilli, 50, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to six charges that he tried to grope one woman and harass another in Lowell Tuesday. He was released on $1,500 bail and is due back in [...]