There is an ongoing effort to recall the most powerful and widely disliked Republican in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission received over 10,700 signatures on Monday from conservative organizers seeking to recall Wisconsin’s Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.
On Tuesday, the WEC conducted an initial review and discovered that the organizers fell short by approximately 945 signatures out of the required 6,850. However, this evaluation was based on verifying whether the signatures belonged to individuals residing in the district Vos was last elected in, according to the previous electoral maps in 2022.
Given the recent update on the legislative maps and the state Supreme Court’s decision not to provide clarification on the applicability of the new districts to pre-November elections, there remains a possibility that the recall organizers have successfully obtained enough signatures from residents residing in Vos’ newly designated district.
Donald Trump has been critical of Vos, sought his ouster
A faction of Republicans aims to oust one of the most successful leaders within their party in the Legislature. Their motivation? None other than former President Donald Trump.
Trump and Vos had a falling out when Vos refused to decertify the 2020 election. In the 2022 Republican primary, a candidate supported by Trump came very close to defeating Vos, losing by only 260 votes. It seems that Vos’s support for the fruitless investigation into the 2020 election led by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman didn’t win him any favor with the group. Furthermore, Vos faced criticism for not moving forward with articles of impeachment against WEC administrator Meagan Wolfe.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent not only Racine County, but also all the people of Wisconsin who are ready to put an end to Vos’ reign of corruption, oppression, and behind-the-scenes dealings,” declared recall organizer Matthew Snorek on Monday.
It’s worth mentioning that Snorek, being a professional pest exterminator, adds a poetic touch to this story. However, his claim of representing “all Wisconsinites” is not entirely unfounded. Considering Vos’ poll numbers, one might question why no one has attempted to recall him until now.
Latest Marquette Law School poll shows Vos is deeply unpopular
According to the most recent Marquette Law School poll, Robin Vos is currently experiencing a significant decline in popularity. In fact, he has reached his lowest ever net favorability rating. With only a 17% favorability rating, Vos is now half as popular as the Wisconsin State Legislature, which itself has a rather unimpressive 34% favorability rating.
Every two years, Vos possesses an incredible amount of power with the support of less than 1% of Wisconsin voters. This gives him a comparable level of influence to Evers, who needs over 50% of the statewide votes. Although Vos is running in a single Assembly district rather than the entire state, his role as speaker has enabled him to accumulate significant authority. In fact, he has been referred to as Wisconsin’s shadow governor by a national publication. Vos has held the position of speaker since 2013, making him the longest-serving speaker in Wisconsin’s history.
This should serve as a critique of our system, highlighting the fact that a politician with such low popularity can hold such immense power for an extended period.
Kristin Brey contributes as the “My Take” columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
