Randy Hopper

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Hopper was subject to an active recall effort. On March 2, 2011, the "Committee to Recall Hopper" officially registered with the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. [12] 15,269 valid signatures of electors residing within the 18th district had to be collected by May 2, 2011, to generate a recall election. His estranged wife reportedly signed his recall petition. [13] [6] [14] [7] [15] [8]

A March 9, 2011, poll by Survey USA showed that voters in Hopper's district would vote for recall by 11 points. [16] A March 10–13, 2011, poll by PPP (sponsored by Daily Kos) showed that voters in Hopper's district disapprove of his job performance 47-38 and support recall by 11 points. When asked if they would vote for Hopper or a generic Democratic candidate, Hopper trailed by 5% with 44% saying they would vote for Hopper again and 49% saying they would vote for the Democratic candidate. [17] He was seen as particularly vulnerable to recall, considering that his victory in the 2008 election came only after a mandatory recount; the margin of victory was 163 votes. [18]

On March 29, 2011, it was reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the recall organizers appeared to have enough signatures to force a recall election. On April 7, 2011, organizers filed 23,946 signatures [19] to recall Senator Hopper with the Government Accountability Board in Madison. [20]

On April 13, 2011, Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King, who lost to Hopper by 163 votes in 2008, announced she would run against Hopper in a potential recall election. [21]

In late May 2011, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board verified petitions against Hopper, and scheduled the recall election for July 12, 2011. [22] King defeated Hopper in the recall election with 51.13% of the vote, 28,188 to 26,937.[ citation needed ]

2011 arrest

In October 2011, Hopper was arrested on a charge of drunk driving. [23] [24] In December, he pleaded not guilty and his jury trial started March 22, 2012. [25] [26] During the trial, Hopper's attorney, Dennis Melowski, argued that county employees, including the arresting officer, "were out to get him". [27] [28] [29]

On March 23, 2012, a jury found Hopper not guilty. [30] [31]

Taxes

According to reporting by the Fond du Lac Reporter, Hopper paid state income tax once in the period between 1997 and 2008. The three businesses he owned had paid no net income tax during the same period. [32] [33] [34]

Electoral history

Randy Hopper
Randy Hopper (modified).jpg
Hopper in 2008
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 18th district
In office
January 3, 2009 –August 9, 2011
Wisconsin State Senate district 18 election 2008 [35]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Randy Hopper41,90450.05%
Democratic Jessica King41,74149.86%
Scattering79.09%
Wisconsin State Senate district 18 recall election 2011 [36]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Jessica King28,81151.13%
Republican Randy Hopper26,93748.86%

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References

  1. ↑ Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, ed. (2009). State of Wisconsin 2009-2010 Blue Book (PDF). Madison: Wisconsin Legislature Joint Committee on Legislative Organization. p. 54.
  2. ↑ "Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations". Federal Communications Commission. December 21, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Recall Election: Republican State Senator Randy Hopper stands by budget repair vote during recall - WITI". www.fox6now.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06.
  4. ↑ "John Nichols: Unemployment spikes under Walker, GOP". 31 July 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Randy Hopper: 2011-12 Committees". State of Wisconsin. 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Kottke, Colleen (March 14, 2011). "State Sen. Randy Hopper not residing at Fond du Lac home". Fond du Lac Reporter . Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "GOP Senator's Wife Claims He No Longer Lives In District". Madison, Wisconsin: WISC-TV. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Trevey, Mick (March 15, 2011). "Capitol Chaos: Was State Senator In Affair?". Milwaukee, Wisconsin: WTMJ-TV . Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ tgalli (March 22, 2011). "State officials defend worker's big pay raise". Madison, Wisconsin: WKOW . Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Salary boosted for worker with ties to Hopper". Madison, Wisconsin: WKOW. March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Hopper denies role in state employee's hire". Madison, Wisconsin: WKOW. March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Committee to Recall Hopper". Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  13. ↑ Black, Eric (March 15, 2011). "Wisconsin senator's wife plans to sign recall petition against him". MinnPost. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Fond du Lac Senator Faces Recall and Scandal". Sheboygan, Wisconsin: WHBL. March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  15. ↑ Bice, Daniel (March 14, 2011). "Hopper recall effort turns ugly". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  16. ↑ Sargent, Greg (March 10, 2011). "Poll: Majorities support recall of two Wisconsin GOP senators". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  17. ↑ Nir, David (March 15, 2011). "Wisconsin recall: 3 GOP state senators trail Generic Dem, more at risk". Daily Kos . Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Complaint filed with AG's office against GOP Sen. Hopper". Wisconsin State Journal. Associated Press. March 15, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  19. ↑ Sargent, Greg (April 7, 2011). "Recall momentum continues: Dems collect huge number of signatures to recall Randy Hopper". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  20. ↑ Tolan, Tom (April 7, 2011). "Signatures filed to recall Sen. Randy Hopper; more possible". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  21. ↑ "King announces she will challenge Hopper in Senate recall election". Fond du Lac Reporter. April 13, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  22. ↑ "GAB Clears Way For 3 GOP Recall Elections - Politics News Story - WISC Madison". Channel3000.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2011-06-27.
  23. ↑ Fond du Lac State Senator arrested on OWI charge, fdlreporter.com. Accessed October 25, 2022.
  24. ↑ Ex-Senator arrested for drunken driving says he did nothing wrong, greenbaypressgazette.com. Accessed October 25, 2022.
  25. ↑ Hopper Scheduled for Jury Trial Archived 2012-09-05 at archive.today - www.nbc26.com
  26. ↑ "Ex-state Sen. Randy Hopper to face OWI trial in March", Appleton Post Crescent, December 15, 2011.
  27. ↑ "Former Wisconsin Senator Randy Hopper says at drunken driving trial officer was out to get him because of collective bargaining vote". Appleton Post-Crescent. March 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  28. ↑ "OWI trial: Hopper says county employees were out to get him". Fond du Lac Reporter. March 22, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  29. ↑ Daniel Bice (March 22, 2012). "Ex-senator offers tearful testimony at OWI trial". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  30. ↑ Former state senator Randy Hopper found not guilty on OWI charge, fdlreporter.com. Accessed October 25, 2022.
  31. ↑ "State appeals dismissal in Randy Hopper OWI refusal case" . Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  32. ↑ "Sen. Hopper's sleazy attacks won't erase his tax avoidance". 16 July 2011.
  33. ↑ Roznik, Sharon (October 24, 2008). "Hopper fends off tax questions". The Reporter.
  34. ↑ Hopper, Alysia (October 31, 2008). "Hopper opponents have taken low road in Senate campaign". The Reporter.
  35. ↑ "Fall General Election – 11/04/2008; State Senate, District No. 18 – Recount" (PDF). Wisconsin State Elections Board. November 26, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  36. ↑ "August 9 recall election results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 9, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
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