Tuesday, June 5, 2012
11:41 PM
Tate says spending disadvantage contributed to recall defeat
State Dem Party Chairman Mike Tate said despite tonight's loss, the party has no regrets over the recall effort.
“The issues of this election are worth fighting for whether it be workers rights to women’s rights,” Tate said. “I will happily fight, everyday, for those things. And everyone who was out there, on the line, fighting for those things should not feel like they lost the election. It is to be continued.”
He chalked up part of the loss to a sharp funding disadvantage.
“They have millionaires and billionaires that can write checks and take out TV ads,” Tate said. “This should not have even been a contest considering how much they spent.
“I think we did great with the amount of money we spent,” he continued “I think if Scott Walker has spent the same amount as Tom Barrett … there would be different election results tonight.”
Tate said he joins Barrett in calling for unity, and that if Walker wants to bring the state together he needs to reach out to those who signed the recall or voted against him with actions, not just words.
Although Dems did not receive the same level of financial support from the national party level as did Walker, Tate said he was happy with the support the state party saw, noting that Bill Clinton came to campaign and Obama's Organizing for America helped fight the ground game.
While the party is moving past the election, Tate said questions remain over the John Doe investigation into Walker's office when he was Milwaukee County exec.
“I think Scott Walker has a lot of questions to answer about corruption in his office,” Tate said.
-- By David Wise
Labels: 2012_recall_elections
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