Wisconsin Progressives Collect 9,000 More Signatures Than Needed To Oust Philandering Republican Senator

Democrats and labor activists are ready to file another recall petition in Wisconsin, as they are expected to submit nearly 24,000 signatures against state Sen. Randy Hopper (R). Only about 15,000 signatures are needed to successfully trigger a recall. It will mark the second time in less than a week that a recall petition has been successfully filed against a Wisconsin Senate Republican, after organizers submitted about 22,000 signatures against Sen. Dan Kapanke (R) last Friday.

Among the signatures may be those of Hopper’s former maid and his estranged wife. (Hopper is reportedly having an affair with a former staffer and now lives outside of his district.) His wife has even indicated that she will contribute to whomever runs against Hopper in a recall election.

Two recent polls have shown that Hopper is trailing a generic Democrat in a recall election. As many as six other GOP state senators could be recalled after their votes to support Gov. Scott Walker’s (R) anti-worker “budget” bill last month.