Madison — After the first recall attempt failed, Trump supporters are trying again to recall Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. On Wednesday, recall organizers submitted paperwork to start a second recall effort a day after asking a judge to give them more time to restore signatures Vos questioned on the first petition. Thursday, organizers called the new attempt a “concurrent” effort and claimed they weren't losing up on the first.
Vos was initially targeted for recall because he refused to impeach the state's chief elections officer or decertify President Joe Biden's 2020 Wisconsin victory. Trump accused Vos of covering up election corruption, and his followers failed a primary challenge in 2022 and are now trying to force a recall election.
The second recall movement cites his “tacit support for the Chinese Communist Party,” lack of election integrity, bucking decreased prescription medicine prices, and “flagrant disrespect for his own constituents by calling them ‘whack-jobs, morons and idiots.’”The Court wants to emphasize its decision's gravity, Quraishi stated. Plaintiffs want an unusual remedy to protect the democratic process for primary elections.
Vos dismissed the recall effort last week, dismissing their assertions that he covertly works for the Chinese government. “The whack jobs who are running the recall against me said I am agent of the Chinese Communist Party,” he told WisPolitics.com luncheon. “That was their last desperate text to prove I'm not a conservative Republican.
Vos, Wisconsin's longest-serving Assembly speaker, declined to comment on the recall movement Thursday. Recall organizer Matthew Snorek did not respond to an email. Recall organizers said Thursday they wanted “to fortify the integrity of the recall process, ensuring that each step we take is marked by precision, transparency, and trust.”
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission decides if enough valid petitions are collected to warrant a recall election. The commission has not voted on the first application, but its first investigation revealed insufficient genuine signatures from Vos' district residents.
Due to revised legislative maps that put Vos in a different district, the elections commission has sought the Wisconsin Supreme Court to clarify where any recall would take place. That would also determine where and how many petition signatures are needed.
When and if the Supreme Court will rule on that subject is unknown. Recall organizers have until Tuesday to respond to Vos' signature challenges. Instead, they requested extra time from the Dane County circuit court to evaluate the challenges. Organizers requested five days after the Supreme Court determines on district boundaries in a court filing.
Vos said the initial recall petition was fraudulent and criminal and fell “woefully short” of signatures regardless of legislative district. The Racine County district attorney was also investigating petitions with unsigned names. The elections commission must rule by April 11 if the initial petition has enough valid signatures for a recall election. You can challenge its decision in court. If successful, the recall may occur in June.
Any recall election would presumably be in September as the new recall petition is due May 28. After the Aug. 13 primary, Vos could face a fight before the November general election.
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