Democrats and Unions launch major effort to recall Wisconsin state senators

I suppose that the one positive the Republicans have is that the unions can't unseat those who were just elected for the first time this past November. Republicans who won office in 2006 or 2008 would have survived Democratic years. Democrats are much less likely to face recalls because there will be no where near the resources devoted for their recalls.

. . . Wisconsin is one of only a handful of states that allows voters to unseat sitting lawmakers. Under state law, an elected official can be subjected to a recall campaign only if he or she has been in office for one year.

Republicans control the Wisconsin Senate with 19 of 33 seats. If Democrats successfully recalled three of the eight Republicans they are targeting, they would retake control of the chamber. Tate pointed out that one was elected by a margin of just 184 votes, another by just over a thousand.

"Make no mistake, these Republican senators are vulnerable to recall for their radical partisan overreach," he said.

Recall efforts have already been launched against sitting Democrats who have fled the state to forestall a vote on Walker's proposals. The new effort against Republicans, however, has the support of not just the state Democratic Party but also local and national labor unions. . . .

That organizing power is key, given the requirements that come with a recall effort. Reid Magney, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, said each individual recall effort requires verified signatures of no fewer than 14,733 registered voters, depending on the district.

The party now has 60 days to collect those signatures. Magney estimated that if the petition drives are successful, a recall election could be held by July. The incumbent being targeted is automatically on the ballot, and an individual seeking to challenge him or her must get 400 signatures to qualify. If multiple challengers emerge, a primary recall would be held as well. . . .