Mary Burke, a Harvard educated former Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce, has announced that she will take on Scott Walker in 2014. Burke also has business experience as the former director of European Operations for Trek Bicycle. She serves on the school board in Madison, Wisconsin as well. Burke is a capable fundraiser, and she has personal wealth from her executive experience at Trek Bicycle that she could infuse into the race. Burke paid over 500,000 dollars in state income taxes between 2008 and 2012, which means that she reported an adjusted gross income of at least 6.8 million dollars over that time period.
Many prominent Democrats have been reluctant to challenge Walker after he won the election in 2010 and then survived a recall effort in 2012. However, Burke should be applauded for not getting cold feet like many of her fellow Wisconsin Democrats. Prior to her announcement, a Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey from September showed the race as competitive with Walker holding a 48-42 edge over Burke. Walker’s right-wing policies, including his efforts to destroy Wisconsin’s public unions and his signing of a controversial anti-abortion law, put him at odds with many of the Badger state’s voters. Burke has an opportunity to seize upon that discontent and defeat Walker in 2014. An analysis conducted by Nate Silver in April this year, found that Walker was the 3rd most conservative Governor in the country. Although Wisconsin voted for Barack Obama in 2012 and is therefore considered a “blue state”, they have a Governor who is to the right of red state Governor’s Rick Perry, Jan Brewer, and lesser known heads of state in Mississippi, Georgia, Utah, and Oklahoma.
Wisconsin, like so many Republican run states, needs a new Governor. Mary Burke gives the Democrats a fighting chance to end Scott Walker’s tenure in Madison, and bring progressive governance back to the Wisconsin. While the Wisconsin race promises to be a tough battle, Democrats should celebrate the fact that Scott Walker has now drawn a serious opponent. Perhaps his days in power will come to an abrupt end in November 2014.
Edited/Published by: SB
