Scott Walker Wraps Himself in Hypocrisy With Latest Fundraising Solicitation

MADISON, Wis. — Scott Walker has shown he is willing to manipulate the rules on voting to give himself and his fellow Republicans an unfair partisan advantage, signing into law numerous measures to make voting harder and more complicated for Wisconsinites. He’s also willing to ignore his record when it comes to the chase for campaign cash, appealing to people to demonstrate their “love for American democracy” by sending him a campaign contribution.

“If you love American democracy, what Gov. Walker has done to elections in Wisconsin will break your heart,” said One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross. “Scott Walker has shown that his love of winning an election trumps any feelings he may have for democracy in which every legal voter has a chance to cast their ballot and have their voice heard.”

If you love American democracy, what @ScottWalker has done to elections in Wisconsin will break your heart.

According to an Associated Press report, Walker sent out a fundraising e-mail soliciting campaign contributions for his presumptive re-election bid. His exhortation for supporters to fill his campaign coffers was that giving money to him was an opportunity to show their “love for American democracy.”

Ross noted that Walker has been all too willing to put his gubernatorial thumb on the scale to tip the rules on voting in his favor. He has signed into law measures to restrict early voting, impose a strict voter ID requirement and add barriers making it harder and more complicated for targeted groups like students and seniors to vote.

One Wisconsin Now’s partner organization, One Wisconsin Institute, is the lead plaintiff in a federal lawsuit challenging numerous election law changes imposed by Walker. In a ruling last summer suspending several restrictions including those on early voting, federal Judge James Peterson wrote, “… the conclusion is nearly inescapable: the election laws passed between 2011 and 2014 were motivated in large part by the Republican majority’s partisan interests.”

Most recently Walker has refused to take a stand to protect Wisconsin voters from a commission, established by executive order by Donald Trump, requesting sensitive personal information about registered voters, including portions of social security numbers, birth date, voting history and any information about individual’s partisan political preference.

He concluded, ”Scott Walker is wrapping himself not on the flag but in hypocrisy with this latest fundraising appeal. The record shows he’s the one who has committed the real election fraud, manipulating the rules on voting to try to give himself an unfair partisan advantage.”