MADISON, Wis. (WSAU) – Four Republican state senators have filed challenges against petition signatures demanding their recall.
Wausau Senator Pam Galloway is among those who say many of the signatures have come from outside her district.
“Individuals from Oak Creek, Oshkosh, and even Rhinelander, clearly not in the 29th Senate District,” the first-term lawmaker said in a statement. She claimed there was there was a concerted effort to distort her record and manufacture a group to campaign against her.
Galloway also says that the efforts to get her recalled are coming from outside the district.
“One has to ask why individuals from Madison, Platteville, Maryland and Florida are forcing an election onto the taxpayers of North Central Wisconsin.” Galloway's office says a recall will cost cities and counties in her district $500,000.
The Government Accountability Board says recall organizers now have five days to rebut or challenge the challenges. The senators will have two more days after that to file briefs. The GAB will review all of the challenges as it decides whether enough valid signatures have been filed to authorize elections.
Petition organizers need to get 15,613 signatures to recall Galloway. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls, and Van Wanggaard of Racine are all facing similar recall attempts.
The board has until March 19th to verify the signatures.
