Kapanke won election to the Wisconsin State Senate twice,first in 2004 against LaCrosse County Board Supervisor Brad Pfaff,and again in 2008 against La Crosse County Supervisor Tara Johnson.
Kapanke served as chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture,Forestry,and Higher Education,and was also a member of the committees on Energy,Biotechnology,and Consumer Protection,on Financial Institutions and Rural Issues,and on Workforce Development,Small Business,and Tourism. He was also co-chair of the Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems.[2]
Kapanke had been criticized for ethics violations,including using $32,000[3] from a lobbyist-funded charity to pay off personal debt,and violating the state's open records law,causing taxpayers to pay $38,000 in legal bills.[4] According to Kapanke,the violations were unintentional.[5]
In October 2009,Kapanke was added to the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns Program as an "On the Radar" candidate.[7] This designation was only given to ten Republican Congressional candidates in the Midwest. During the same month,Congressional Quarterly readjusted the 3rd Congressional District political status from a "Safe Democratic" to a "Likely Democratic" district.
In September 2010,Kapanke defeated Bruce Evers in the 3rd congressional district Republican Primary election. Kapanke won with approximately 78% of the vote.[8] Kapanke then lost the general election to incumbent Congressman Ron Kind,taking 46 percent of the vote to Kind's 50 percent.[9]
Signatures for the recall petition against Kapanke being collected on March 11, 2011Opponents of Kapanke demonstrating their support for his recall
During the 2011 Wisconsin protests, Kapanke reported that he had received death threats from his vote, and claimed that the windshield of his car had been vandalized, causing him to cancel public appearances. However, a police report had previously concluded that the damage was instead caused by a stray rock.[10] Nevertheless, Kapanke persisted in publicly blaming it on protesters; according to PolitiFact, "Kapanke allowed the myth of the smashed windshield to run wild and uncorrected for almost three weeks after he knew it was not true."[11]
Kapanke was subject to an active recall effort to remove him from his seat in the Wisconsin Senate, as part of the 2011 Wisconsin protests. On March 2, 2011, the "Committee to Recall Kapanke" officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.[12] 15,588 valid signatures of electors residing within the 32nd District had to be collected by May 2, 2011 to generate a recall election.
A March 9, 2011 poll by Survey USA indicated that 57% voters in Kapanke's district would vote for recall.[13]
Kapanke indicated his strong support for Governor Scott Walker, explaining it by asking, "How can you go wrong following a leader that obviously gets his mission on this earth?", referring to their strong religious beliefs.[14] At a separate occasion, he indicated that he did not believe that Walker's plans went far enough, and stated that public safety unions (police, firemen, and state patrol unions) should be included in the collective bargaining ban (under Walker's plan, they are exempt.)[15]
On April 1, 2011, Wisconsin Democrats announced that they had enough signatures to recall Kapanke and filed petitions that day, with 22,561 signatures,[16][17] 45% more than the 15,588 verifiable signatures required by the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB).[18]
On April 9, 2011, State Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D - La Crosse) announced her candidacy against Kapanke in a possible recall election.[19]
At a LaCrosse County Republican Party meeting held in late May 2011, party officials discussed the possibility of running an additional Democratic Party candidate against Rep. Shilling, with the intent being to force a primary election against a token opponent, delaying the date of the recall election.[20] According to election clerks, this would cost the state $101,000.[21] At the same meeting, Kapanke expressed concern over his re-election bid due to the large number of public workers in his district, saying that he hoped they would sleep through the election.[22]
Kapanke challenges the petition
On April 15, 2011, Kapanke filed a challenge with the Government Accountability Board stating that the recall petitions should be thrown out as organizers neglected to file a required registration statement. According to Kapanke's challenge, a specific organizer, Patrick Scheller, is the Recall Petitioner, as he was the one delivering the 22,561 petitions, and thus should have filed the registration himself (which was instead filed by the Recall Committee.)[23] Kapanke also challenged approximately 900 of the 22,561 signatures (15,588 valid signatures are required to force a recall election.)[24]
Pro-recall organizers filed a rebuttal in response, arguing that Kapanke's argument "proceeds from a false factual premise", noting that Scheller was simply a representative of the recall committee, as "a committee can neither be an elector or hold a pen."[25][26]
GAB rules against Kapanke
In late May, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (GAB) approved the recall petition against Senator Kapanke, rejecting his challenge. The date for the recall election was set for August 9, 2011, following a Democratic primary on July 12, 2011.[27]
Recall results
Kapanke lost the recall effort to Shilling on August 9, 2011, earning 45% of the vote (26,724) to Shilling's 55% (33,192).[28]
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