Senate Candidate Roger Roth Touts ‘Independent Voice’ in Campaign Ads, Voted Party Line 98.9 Percent of the Time in Most Recent Legislative Session

MADISON, Wis. — Republican Roger Roth is claiming he is an “independent voice” in his state senate campaign television advertising. But based on an analysis of his voting record, Roth overwhelmingly voted the GOP party line, siding with the Senate Republican leader on all but a handful of roll call votes over three consecutive sessions.

“Roger Roth claims he’s an independent voice in his campaign ads, but the cat must have gotten his tongue when he was down in Madison,” said One Wisconsin Now Research Director Joanna Beilman-Dulin. “In the Senate Roger Roth votes the Republican party line almost every single time.”

According to a review of voting records for the 2017-18 legislative session, Roger Roth voted the party line 98.9 percent of the time, siding with the Senate Republican leader Scott Fitzgerald on 277 of 280 roll call votes.

Roth similarly adhered to the GOP partly line in both the 2015-16 and 2013-14 sessions, voting with his party leader 99.6 percent and 97.6 percent of the time respectively. In 2015-16 Roth differed on merely 1 vote out of 258 recorded roll call votes.

Beilman-Dulin concluded, “Roger Roth’s voting record shows he is definitely not an independent voice, but his trying to sell people on it in his campaign ads shows he’s just another politician who’s so desperate to try to get elected he’ll say almost anything.”