The Wisconsin bipartisan elections commission rejected a petition to force a recall election targeting the state’s top elected Republican, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos. Trump supporters were angry with Vos for his refusal to decertify President Biden’s win and his lack of support for impeaching the state’s top elections official. Despite efforts by former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who represented petition circulators, the commission unanimously voted to reject the recall effort due to insufficient valid signatures, with Republican commissioner Bob Spindell citing an “arithmetic problem.”
Gableman argued that the recall effort was intentionally undermined by individuals seeking its failure, claiming infiltration by outsiders from New York and Florida. Vos, dismissing the petition organizers as “whack jobs and morons,” had previously challenged the validity of thousands of signatures and declared the effort a failure. As the longest-serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin state history, Vos remains a powerful figure in the GOP-led Legislature. Despite the initial setback, recall organizers have launched a second effort, which is currently ongoing and has not yet been submitted for review by the elections commission.
Overall, the rejection of the recall petition against Assembly Speaker Robin Vos highlights the ongoing tensions within the Republican Party in Wisconsin, particularly between Trump supporters and establishment figures like Vos. The involvement of key figures like Gableman and Vos, as well as the accusations of intentional sabotage and outside interference, underscore the stakes involved in these political maneuvers. As the second recall effort unfolds, the political landscape in Wisconsin remains contentious and closely watched by both local observers and national stakeholders.
