Thank You, Harsdorf Supporters

The recall battle in the 10th Senate District is now over and I could not be more proud of the volunteers who stood up to support Sen. Sheila Harsdorf. After the 2010 election we were planning on Party building and 2012 strategy. The off-election year often is used to recharge the volunteers as they spend time with family and friends.

When the recalls were put into motion I had much trepidation that our side had become complacent. We control the Senate, the Assembly, and the Governor’s house, and we had just come off an election cycle where we elected conservatives across the state and country. I wondered if we would be able to match the energy that comes with being motived by anger as we saw with the Democrats and special interests.

We watched on television or over the Internet as the mobs marched through the halls of the capitol and held their rally in Hudson announcing they had the signatures to recall Sheila. My concerns were unwarranted. Tens of thousands of hours were logged making phone calls, knocking on doors, attending events, sending out mailers, and much more. We as a local party have become closer than ever. I have worked on campaigns where the volunteers go through the motions just to get to the end. I knew that this was not going to be one of those campaigns when volunteer shifts were full and everyone came in with a sense of focus and determination. It is difficult to put into words the camaraderie that developed in this recall among the volunteers. The volunteers who stood up to defend Senator Harsdorf were amazing and if they are called upon again to defend Walker in January they will with the same fortitude.  

We face a lot of problems in this country and state. We have another looming recession, loss of our nation’s credit standing, the need to lower unemployment and to maintain a balanced state budget. After next Tuesday’s recalls (Senate Districts 12 and 22) the push for further special elections will be in the hands of the Democrats in this state. The current recalls have created a toxic political environment between the two parties that will take years to mend. It will be up to the Democrats to determine if they want to move forward and do what’s best for this country and state or continue this hatred for a governor who is doing what we asked him to do.