Candidates register to run for state office
By Barbara Lyon, Editor
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 11:19 AM CDT
All local incumbents for state office will face opposition come November. And some them will find their names on the Sept. 9 primary ballot.
The deadline for candidates to register for state office was 5 p.m. on July 8. All 99 Assembly seats are up for election.
Representing
Dunn County
District 29 incumbent John Murtha will be the only Republican party candidate. Facing off in September are Democrats Chris Buckel of Hammond and L. John Peters of Menomonie, while Craig Mohn of Woodville will represent the Libertarian party on the ballot.
District 67 incumbent Jeff Wood of Sioux Creek last week departed the Republican party and declared himself as an Independent candidate. He will face Libertarian Andrew McKenzie of Chippewa Falls.
For his District 93 seat, incumbent Jeff Smith, a Democrat, will face the winner of a Republican primary face-off either Darcy Fields or John Schless. All three candidates hail from Eau Claire.
Of the 16 (out of 33) State Senate seats up for election, Republican Senator Sheila Harsdorf will face Democrat and fellow River Falls denizen Alison Page come November.
Dunn County District Attorney James Peterson, a Republican, will run unopposed.
To retain his seat as the District 3 representative to the U.S. Congress, Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) will have no primary opposition, but he will face Republican Paul Start of Eau Claire, Wisconsin Green Anthony K. Bublitz of Beaver Dam, and one of a pair of Libertarians Kevin Barrett of Lone Rock or Ben Olson III of Wisconsin Dells.
By the numbers
According to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, there will be 269 candidates on the ballot for all state legislative districts. By party affiliation, they include 145 Democrats, 111 Republicans, five Libertarians, eight Independents and no Wisconsin Green Party candidates.
Twelve incumbents will face primary challengers nine Democrats and three Republicans. Twenty-four incumbents will run unopposed in both the primary and November elections.
To qualify for the ballot candidates had to file a required number of signatures as follows:
U.S. Congress 1,000-2,000
State Senator 400-800
State Assembly 200-400
District Attorney 500-1,000 in counties with a population greater than 100,000; 200-400 in counties with a population of less than 100,000.
For information about the Elections Division of the Government Accountability Board, phone (608) 266-8005, e-mail gab@wi.gov, or go to http://gab.wi.gov. |
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