The fight to remove Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker from office has reached the Beltway, where the region’s two governors staked out strictly partisan positions on the fate of the embattled Republican leader.
Recall organizers handed in more than 1 million signatures Tuesday to Wisconsin officials in an effort to oust Walker, who split the state last year over his controversial decision to strip public employees of their collective bargaining rights.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Governors Association and leader of a right-to-work state, quickly mobilized to back Walker, launching a new website — www.StandWithScott.com — to raise money to fight the recall attempt.
“Gov. Walker tackled Wisconsin’s challenges head on, and his plan to turn around Wisconsin is working,” McDonnell said in a statement.
On the other side of the Potomac River, Democratic Governors Association Chairman and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley lauded the efforts of the recall organizers and vowed to help “field a candidate who will hold Gov. Walker accountable for taking his eye off of what should have been his primary focus from day one: creating jobs and expanding opportunity now.”
If Wisconsin officials determine that enough of the signatures are valid, Walker will face a recall election later this year. In a purple state that was a political focal point in 2011, the race is likely to serve as a referendum ahead of 11 gubernatorial elections this November that will define the terms of McDonnell and O’Malley as national party leaders.
