MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - The head of the State Republican Party says the Greater Wisconsin Committee should return the $1 million Governor Jim Doyle gave that group – or else it should stop running ads slamming GOP candidate Scott Walker.
The Democrat Doyle is stepping down in January. And he gave most of his $1.8 million campaign fund to the liberal group, to try and get Democrat Tom Barrett to win in November. The Greater Wisconsin Committee recently spent a half-million on ads which attack Walker, the Republicans’ endorsed candidate for governor.
State GOP chairman Reince Priebus says the donation proves that electing Barrett is like giving Doyle a third term. And Priebus called it, “a perfect legacy for a partisan governor known for rewarding friends and punishing enemies.”
Doyle spokesman Adam Collins said it was clear that the governor would support his fellow Democrats ever since he announced 13 months ago that he wouldn’t run for re-election.
Greater Wisconsin Committee director Michelle McGrorty said the group wants a progressive agenda that includes tax fairness and health care reform – and she said Walker wants the opposite.
By law, Barrett’s campaign cannot coordinate with outside groups. Barrett spokesman Phil Walzak called the Republican response, “a pathetic attempt to distract from Scott Walker’s imploding campaign.” Walker faces a tough primary challenge from Mark Neumann on Tuesday.
