DEMS OPEN OFFICE

"Taylor for Senate" Bumper Stickers Widely Available at Event.

Exclusively for the readers of Milwaukeeworld

By Michael Horne

The Milwaukee County Democratic Party held its "Blue Bash 2007, an Urban BBQ and Office Grand Opening!" yesterday, Monday, September 17th, 2007 at the party's office in the Chalet on the River, 823 N. 2nd St., Milwaukee.
Sen Lena Taylor was among the many who spoke at the rally,which featured Mayor Tom Barrett as honored guest.
After pecking this writer on the cheek. "Just once, I don't want to make your wife jealous," [No chance of that! --Ed.], Sen. Taylor said she is pleased to read the rumors of her candidacy for Milwaukee County Executive every time they appear on this blog. But of course, they are just rumors, you see, and Taylor couldn't possibly be running. Why in those heels, she could barely walk as she passed out Lena Taylor for Senate bumper stickers until they were stacked six deep on every table.
Yes, it turns out that Milwaukeworld's reporting of Taylor's comments to a gathering of the party faithful at Fighting Bob Fest have now been called erroneous by both The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Magazine. Oh, please just say, "premature."
Taylor said something about running for county exec at the event on September 8th, but we can't tell for sure now exactly what it was. Her speech is the only one from the event to have not been released; the video of her appearance is likewise nowhere to be seen. And nobody seems to know if she is running, except, of course, for those who have spoken to her, like the parking attendant at last night's event, or the people who appeared on stage with her. Or the party bosses. So let's make that, nobody officially knows.
At the event, Taylor and her coy supporters said there were numerous details that needed to be undertaken before her candidacy could be announced, but that milwaukeeworld would be "the second to know," when the time comes.
Taylor's backtracking possibly has to do with campaign finance issues and election laws. Right now, she has a perfectly good senate campaign committee that is busy raising funds during this vital legislative session. The senate is a partisan seat, and all good legislators are expected to raise lots of money during the session for the good of the party.(We'll know how much she's raised in January.)
If she were to "announce" for County Executive, she would not be able to raise funds for the Senate.
What about the non-partisan Milwaukee County Executive race, which the democrats so desperately want to take away from republican Scott Walker? According to the Wisconsin State Elections Board form EBIS-3, "new candidates should file a campaign registration statement [EB-1] as soon as intent to seek elective office is known and before funds are collected or spent." [Emphasis added. -- Ed.]
By not denying the report here that she told the folks at Fighting Bob Fest that she was running, Taylor would have had to shut down her Senate fundraising activities, and concentrate on her Milwaukee County Executive fundraising, which does not have quite the same allure in Madison.
According to staff at the elections board, she will be able to convert her Senate funds to the County Executive race, which has a higher campaign threshold. (Senators can raise $1,000 per individual; the Milwaukee County Executive candidates can raise up to $3,000 per candidate.) Thus, she doesn't have to be in any hurry to announce.
So, again, Lena Taylor is running, but she can't say so right now while she's raising money for her County Executive campaign through the proxy of her senate campaign.

ABOUT THE EVENT

The "Blue Bash 2007," the nominal subject of this column, drew about 100 partisans into the close confines of the party's headquarters, rented from Bonnie Joseph, an on-site landlord and party supporter. The attendees supped on barbeque from Speed Queen and beer from Lakefront Brewery. Brewery owner Russ Klisch was on hand to mingle briefly. He and his fellow craft brewers throughout the state are still concerned that there may be a revival of the infamous SB 224 that threatened their industry this summer. [See postings elsewhere.] Although the bill seems dead now, you never know what might turn up during budget season, where a gum wrapper could become law if you staple it onto a bill folder in the right spot.
The mayor appeared a bit into the evening with his Chief of Staff Pat Curley. The mayor gave a rather rousing speech, telling the crowd that 2008 will be a good year for the democrats, what with moderate republicans bailing out congress in what they perceive to be a losing scenario for their party. "They are tired of the republican leaders rhetoric, and they don't believe their rhetoric," he said. In fact, the situation is so dire for republican congressmen that "the right hand doesn't know what the far right hand is doing." That's a good line. Just this morning Minnesota Rep. Jim Ramstad said he's leaving congress at the end of this term.
One woman who hopes to take advantage of a possible bad year for congressional republicans is Marge Krupp, a Pleasant Prairie engineer who says she is taking on incumbent Rep. Paul Ryan. She says the Democratic National Campaign Committee told her the seat, which includes a portion of Milwaukee County, is winnable. They also told her that what she has to do right now is to raise money, and a little silo on her website shows she has about $35,000 so far.
But the real action for the Democratic Party in Wisconsin this upcoming election will be in the assembly. Wisconsin will have no gubernatorial or senatorial elections in 2008, which will open the party focus to the Presidential race (of course) and the race for the assembly, which is only three seats away from Democratic control. Plenty of representatives were at the event, including Reps. Josh Zepnick, Spencer Coggs, Fred Kessler, Pedro Colon (who had just announced for City Attorney that morning) Barbara Toles and Jim Sullivan.
Other attendees included Register of Deeds John LaFave, Vince Bobot, Marc Marotta, and others too numerous to mention, including party chair Martha Love.