Susan Happ
Jefferson — District Attorney Susan Happ clearly demonstrated during her Sunday debate with Republican opponent, Brad Schimel that she is the only candidate who will keep politics out of the Attorney General’s office and focus on protecting Wisconsin women and families, rather than a partisan agenda. Schimel ducked questions, said he didn’t know on others, and was unable to back up some of his claims.
Although he says he would defend every state law, Schimel said, “I’m not sure” when asked whether he would defend the state law that prohibits political campaigns from coordinating activities with organizations like the Club for Growth.
The group spent millions of dollars to support Scott Walker in past elections, which lead to a John Doe investigation to find out whether Walker and the Club for Growth illegally coordinated their activity is continuing.
Schimel said he would sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to try to stop its enforcement of limits on carbon dioxide emissions.
Happ rapped him for his declaration that he would create a solicitor general in the AG’s office, a political appointee who would spend taxpayer money to sue the federal government on EPA rules and the Affordable Care Act.
When host Mike Gousha asked Schimel his source for claims that Happ would try to stop a mine in northern Wisconsin, Schimel said he would have to check on that.
“I’m an experienced front-line prosecutor with endorsements from law enforcement professionals across the state,” Happ said.
“I have locked up serial killers, heroin dealers, sexual predators, rapists and domestic abusers.
“Protecting women and their families has been a priority for me as district attorney, and it will be a priority as Attorney General.
I’ll fight to protect women’s rights to make their own health care decisions and be paid fairly for the work they do.
“I am not a politician. I am not the handpicked candidate of my party. I won a tough three-way primary to get here.”
Schimel was handpicked by the Republican Party and had no primary.
Happ said she is the only candidate with a proven record of working with Republicans and Democrats alike to protect public safety.
She is the first Democrat elected district attorney in Jefferson County in 70 years, and she was reelected without opposition.
Schimel continued to say he would defend any state law that is passed by the legislature, while Happ said as Attorney General she would not defend laws she believes are unconstitutional. “The Attorney General is not a robot,” Happ said.
“The Attorney General is sworn to enforce the law, and above all to uphold the Constitution. If a law is blatantly unconstitutional, the Attorney General has a duty not to enforce it.”
Schimel now says he would defend every law, but first said he would not defend the state’s domestic partnership registry, then flip-flopped and said he would.
He even said recently he would have defended a law banning interracial marriage.
“Schimel showed himself once again to be a totally partisan candidate who has politicized the Waukesha County DS’s office, letting every Republican offender off easily – Scott Jensen, Joel Kleefisch, even a Republican lawyer who destroyed John Doe investigation evidence,” Happ Campaign Manager Josh Lease said. “Wisconsin deserves better than that.”
Susan Happ is the District Attorney for Jefferson County and is a member of the Reducing Recidivism Coalition, Domestic Homicide Prevention Review Team, a founding member of the Jefferson County Heroin Task Force, the Jefferson County Coordinated Community Response Team, and the Jefferson County Sexual Assault Review Team.