Wisconsin: Never Enough

There are already 16 announced Democratic gubernatorial candidates vying for the opportunity to challenge incumbent Scott Walker (R) in November, but there could be at least one more major entry before the June 1st candidate filing deadline. 
 
Four-term Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), who also served ten years in Congress before entering city government, may again run for Governor.  He has already lost twice to Mr. Walker, after failing to capture the party nomination in 2002.  Looking at the huge field, Mr. Barrett is figuring his statewide name identification and solid base in the city of Milwaukee would be enough to swipe the nomination with a low vote total.  The current leader appears to be two-term Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers.   Early special and odd-numbered election returns suggest that Democrats could fare well in the state next year, making Gov. Walker more vulnerable and the Democratic nomination worth having.

--Jim Ellis