‘Party Line’ Marklein Follows the Lead of Party Bosses and Big Business Lobby

Voting Record Analysis of Senate Hopeful Rep. Howard Marklein Reveals He Votes With GOP Leadership Over 99 Percent of Time, 100 Percent With Big Business Lobby

MADISON, Wis. — Republican State Rep. and candidate for State Senate Howard Marklein touts his political independence while on the campaign trail, but a review of his voting record in Madison tells a very different tale. According to One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross, an analysis of Marklein’s 2013 legislative session voting record reveals he voted with the GOP leadership 99.3 percent of the time and in the 2011 session, towed the party line 99.1 percent of the time. In addition the state big business lobby, the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), legislator scorecards show Marklein has only cast two votes against their wishes.

“Far from being independent, Howard Marklein is the party bosses’ and the big business lobby’s man in Madison,” commented Ross. “Only in Howard Marklein’s mind is it independent when you vote with your political party leadership over 99 percent of the time.”

Ross noted that just some of votes on which Marklein towed the party line included:

While his willingness in Madison to unquestioningly follow along with his GOP leadership and big business lobby hasn’t been good for Southwestern Wisconsin, it has been lucrative for Marklein’s campaign. The special interests he’s voted to help have funneled massive amounts of campaign cash to Marklein and the WMC is now buying large amounts of TV ads to try to boost his campaign.

Ross concluded, “The only independence Howard Marklein has displayed is that he cares exactly zero percent for what’s best for the people he’s supposed to serve at home when he’s getting his orders on how to vote from the party bosses and special interests in Madison.”

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