Wisconsin’s newly appointed secretary of state stated Thursday that she had no concept Gov. Tony Evers was going to supply her the job, defusing Republican allegations that her appointment was a part of a long-planned scheme tied to her dropping out of a U.S. Senate race final yr.
Evers introduced Friday that longtime Secretary of State Doug La Follette, a Democrat who narrowly held on to the place in November, had abruptly resigned. The governor stated he appointed Sarah Godlewski to the place somewhat than name a particular election.
Republicans who management the Legislature instantly accused Evers of handing Godlewski the job as a part of a plan to reward her for dropping out of a Democratic main for U.S. Senate final yr and serving to clear the way in which for Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes to win the nomination. Barnes finally misplaced the overall election to incumbent Republican Ron Johnson in November.
LONGTIME WISCONSIN SEC. OF STATE, ‘FIGHTING BOB’ RELATIVE DOUG LA FOLLETTE RESIGNS POST
In her first interview since being tapped for the job, Godlewski instructed The Related Press that she was summoned to the governor’s workplace on March 15, two days earlier than Evers introduced La Follette’s resignation. She stated she had no concept what the governor wished earlier than they sat down and he provided her the job. She denied that any quid professional quo was at play.
“I got here dwelling after that assembly and my husband was like, ‘How was the governor? Are you serving on a job power? Are you serving on a fee?'” Godlewski stated. “I’m like, ‘Nope. You’re your soon-to-be new secretary of state.'”
Evers’ determination to nominate Godlewski somewhat than maintain a particular election to fill the workplace has outraged Republicans, who had been brazenly discussing transferring election administration duties from a bipartisan fee to the secretary of state workplace, following the lead of 38 different states. Former Republican state Rep. Amy Loudenbeck nearly defeated La Follette in November, dropping by solely about 7,500 votes.
Republicans handed a decision Wednesday calling for a particular election.
“The folks of Wisconsin didn’t vote for Sarah Godlewski,” stated Republican Senate Majority Chief Devin LeMahieu. “The voters of Wisconsin should have their voices heard. … Let the folks communicate, let democracy work out its course of and let’s have a duly elected secretary of state.”
Evers instructed reporters on Tuesday that he first heard about La Follette’s determination to resign on March 14. The primary time he spoke to Godlewski about it was on March 15. He stated he appointed her as a result of she had served as state treasurer earlier than working for the U.S. Senate and that job is much like the secretary of state submit.
He identified that nobody complained when he appointed Carolyn Stanford Taylor to interchange him because the state colleges superintendent after he received his first time period as governor in 2018.
“That is simply such an odd story Republicans have put in place right here,” Evers stated. “The concept that I someway colluded with Godlewski and Mandela and all these different folks. I believe the final time I talked to Doug La Follette … I believe I noticed him on the inauguration (this previous January) and I stated ‘good speech, Doug.’ Three phrases that I’ve had with him during the last a number of years. I appointed a very competent particular person to do the work and that is the tip of that story.”
LONGTIME WISCONSIN SEC. OF STATE, ‘FIGHTING BOB’ RELATIVE DOUG LA FOLLETTE RESIGNS POST
The 82-year-old La Follette, a distant cousin of legendary Wisconsin progressive “Preventing Bob” La Follette, first received election as secretary of state in 1974. He left the workplace after one time period to run for lieutenant governor, misplaced that election and received election as secretary of state once more in 1982. He served 10 consecutive phrases earlier than he was reelected in November.
However Republicans have stripped each the state treasurer and secretary of state workplaces of virtually all their obligations and drained their funding. The one actual job left for both officer is sitting on a state timber board.
La Follette stated he determined to run for an 11th time period final yr to make sure that Loudenbeck did not win it, take management of elections and guarantee Donald Trump wins the state in 2024. However he stated in his resignation letter that he was uninterested in serving with none sources.
Requested if she want to management Wisconsin elections, Godlewski responded that she believes the state elections fee is doing an efficient job of holding truthful elections. She stated she does not have a transparent imaginative and prescient but for the secretary of state’s workplace, and that she plans to journey the state and discuss to municipal and county clerks about methods she will help them.
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