With only days until Tuesday’s recall primary election, four Democrats vying to oust Gov. Scott Walker from office debated Friday in front of a statewide audience.
Friday’s debate was a continuation of fairly clean campaigning thus far in the race, as candidates focused on the failures of Walker and not the shortcomings of their primary opponents.
“This is what democracy looks like,” Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said. “Here, having four candidates who have been very civil throughout this campaign.”
Barrett leads his foremost competitor former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk 38 percent to 21 percent in the latest Marquette Law School poll. Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette and state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, trail Barrett and Falk.
The need to end the “civil war” raging in the state caused by Walker’s policies was a common theme throughout the night. Falk said the state needs a “mom” to bridge the ideological gap and promote cooperation between Republicans and Democrats.
“When a family is at war, it takes mom usually to get folks together,” Falk said. “That’s what this state needs, we need a mom. And I am anxious to be that mom to get us back working together and solving problems.”
Candidates addressed their plans to create jobs, reinstate collective bargaining rights for public employees, protect the environment and reform health care programs.
While they generally agreed with each other on many of the issues, Barrett and Falk disagree on the best way to restore collective bargaining rights for public employees.
Barrett said he would call a special legislative session to try and pass a bill that would restore collective bargaining rights. If that didn’t work, he would propose a new budget bill with the changes in regular session.
Falk insisted the best way to go about the changes is to try passing a new budget reinstating bargaining rights and pledging to veto any bill that does not do so.
The winner of Tuesday’s primary will face Walker in a June 5 election.
