Democrats sure in the 18th

I'm told that internal polling conducted on behalf of DPW in the 18th Senate district shows that Randy Hopper is a lock to lose his recall election.

The state's largest newspaper is covering his opponents criticisms. His opponent is also also raising a pretty large amount for an Act Blue fundraising campaign, and it should be only a substantial amount of what she's raising on her own. The next deadline comes in June.

The SSDC is so sure about this that they've not yet committed full resources to this race. Originally, the plan was to have a full staff of 8 set up in Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, but so far only 3 have been committed.

More gossip after the jump.


I'm also told that resources have been shifted to the Luther Olsen recall, in a rural district that stretches from Baraboo all the way up to the northern part of the area just west of Lake Winnebago. The party sees that they have a seriously strong candidate in Fred Clark, a relative newcomer to state politics who was elected in 2008 and has a great rapport with his district, strong enough that he was able to survive a strong challenge as a first-term incumbent in the wave that came last fall.

The 4 GOP Senators that the Dems see as the best opportunities for recalls are, in order: Hopper, Kapanke, Darling, and Olsen. Personally, I think they have a good chance at Sheila Harsdorf as well.

So that's where we sit.