GOP Appointee, Donors Heading Up “Investigation” of GOP Election Complaints in Racine

MADISON, Wis. — Noting the glaring conflicts of interest of the Racine County District Attorney, an appointee of Gov. Walker and campaign contributor to Sen. Wanggaard, and the Racine County Sheriff, a financial supporter of the local Republican Party, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross called on both officials to immediately recuse themselves from any investigation of local GOP complaints involving the recalls elections of Gov. Walker and Sen. Wanggaard.

One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross asked, “Is this Hazzard County or Racine County?”

He continued, “Local officials with glaring conflicts of interest and cozy relationships with the losing candidate conducting ‘investigations’ of high minority voting population polling places that voted overwhelmingly against them looks a lot more like the Jim Crow-era South than modern day Wisconsin.”

In addition to publicly endorsing Sen. Wanggaard’s election, campaign finance records maintained by the State Government Accountability Board reveal the Racine County District Attorney contributed to Sen. Wanggaard’s campaign as recently as last month in addition to earlier financial support. The Racine County Sheriff is on record donating to local GOP politicians and the Racine County Republican Party.

The Racine City Clerk’s Office has reported that at both voting locations at which the GOP has lodged complaints about new voter registrations, the number of new voter registration forms in their files matches the number of new voters who registered and cast votes.

Ross noted that Sen. Wanggaards’s recount request today, publicly acknowledged by top GOP officials as having no chance of altering the outcome of the election, along with the local GOP complaint appear to be part of a strategy to delay turning over the State Senate majority to Democrats.

“You have to ask, what are Republicans so desperate to hide from the public that they are going to such great lengths to prevent the orderly transition of power in the State Senate?” concluded Ross.