Sept. 14 Wisconsin partisan primary election overview: Part One

MADISON: Tuesday Sept. 14 is Wisconsin’s Fall 2010 partisan primary election. Unlike the Nov. 2 general election, voters are limited to voting for candidates within a single party. The winners of contested primaries represent their parties on the Nov. 2 ballots. Sometimes it can be politically strategic to vote outside one's usual party choice.

The following is a look at some key primary contests. Because of length I will be publishing it in 2 parts. This information is by no means complete with so the many candidates and races. Reader input on candidates is appreciated.

As Madison NORML Examiner reported May 10, the likely Democratic nominee Tom Barrett, who faces only nominal primary competition, told a caller on Wisconsin Public Radio that he would sign a medical cannabis bill if elected Wisconsin governor this November.

On the Republican side, the real race is between Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann. While neither seems to have made any recent on record public statements regarding medical cannabis, it is likely they are opposed to an issue most Wisconsinites support.

In 1998, while serving in Congress, both Neumann and Barrett voted for H. Res. 117, "Expressing the Sense of Congress that Marijuana is a Dangerous and Addictive Drug and Should not be Legalized for Medicinal Use." However, while Tom Barrett has evolved from opposition to willingness to sign a mmj bill, Neumann seems stuck in the past along with Walker.

It would be nice to have something definitive, so to that end, Madison NORML Examiner is offering a free Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act t-shirt for getting Walker and/or Neumann on record. Only a hundred of these shirts were originally printed a year ago. If you can get it on video, we’ll see that Jacki signs your shirt too!

The Sept. 14 partisan primary election will narrow down a crowded field of Lieutenant Governor candidates including 5 Republicans and 4 Democrats.

On the Republican side, Rep. Brett Davis (R-Oregon), a former aide to Tommy Thompson who is not seeking reelection to the State Assembly, has been on record against mmj legislation. Davis also sent form letters to constituents who asked him to support the JRMMA, saying he planned to oppose it,

(As an aside, in the race to fill his seat, two Dems - Janis Ringhand and David Dison - are vying to run against the sole Republican, Dan Henke. Ringhand, who lost to Davis in 2008, has been supportive of MMJ legislation in discussions with voters.)

Another GOP candidate for Lieutenant Governor is Rebecca Kleefisch, wife of Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc). Ben Masel said that she told him she knew someone who found Marinol (synthetic THC by prescription) helpful during an illness and was willing to learn more about medical cannabis. There is little info on the positions of other Republican candidates.

Of the Democratic candidates, Henry Sanders has been supportive of medical marijuana in conversations with voters. Spencer Coggs is also a medical cannabis supporter. Looking at other candidates, rumor has it as Assembly Democratic Majority Leader Rep. Tom Nelson, who is not seeking reelection after only 3 terms, blocked the 2009-2010 session hemp bill from reaching the floor after it passed committee. The winners will face Terry Virgil of Johnson Creek, running as a Libertarian, on Nov. 2.

Next: Part Two: A look at some Legislative contests and a couple other contests including a Sheriff's primary that merits a note,

For more info: Dane County Medical Marijuana Referendum:  www.jrmma.org. 06/24/10: Gary Storck OPED: Isthmus: Rejection of Wisconsin medical marijuana bill was a profile in cowardice. This Oct. 1-3, 2010: Great Midwest Marijuana Harvest Festival. Madison NORML Examiner: Jacki Rickert MMJ Act 2010 runs out of time in Wisconsin Legislature. For additional details on medical cannabis and Wisconsin visit JRMMA.org, IMMLY.org, Wisconsin NORML or MadisonNORML.org. Visit my Madison NORML Examiner articles archive. Photo courtesy of Carissa. All rights reserved. Madison NORML Examiner is dedicated to the memory of Mary Powers (1949-2009).