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Wisconsin’s Scott Walker-Recall Battle Is November’s Dress Rehearsal

A vote on whether to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on June 5 is promising a national election dress rehearsal for big money and battling Republicans and Democrats.

Photo by Whitney Curtis/Getty Images

Until the June 5 recall vote on Gov. Scott Walker, we can expect Wisconsin to be a microcosm of national politics—the good, the bad, and the big money.

The state has become a battleground for the debate over collective bargaining rights, and as Democrats try to throw out Gov. Walker for undermining unions, Wisconsin is also seeing a huge influx of cash from all sides. Why? It’s a dress rehearsal for November: A state with a mix of progressives and conservatives galvanized by the issues that will play in the national campaign.

President Obama’s campaign is throwing money into the effort to toss Gov. Walker out—and billionaires who financed Newt Gingrich’s campaign and Swift-Boated Senator John Kerry’s presidential bid are fighting back with big cash.

The national attention might be affecting voters, too. In last week’s primary, a Republican husband was run over while trying to stop his Democrat wife from getting to the polls.

Video produced by Jim Festante.