Wis.’s Kleefisch: Recall May Signal Election Outcome

Wisconsin Lt. Gov Rebecca Kleefisch says the recall election there June 5 will “absolutely” signal how this November’s general election will go.

Speaking Thursday evening on Fox News’ “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren,” the Republican said, “I think Wisconsin is a harbinger.”

“I think we are going to be a huge predictor of momentum going into the presidential election,” she said, noting that Wisconsin deserves the designation as a key battleground state.

“Wisconsin is a very purple state,” she said. “We’re very passionate on both sides of the political aisle.”

Kleefisch and fellow Republican Gov. Scott Walker are both facing a voter recall stemming from last year’s fierce battle over the passage of a new law pushed by Walker that ended collective bargaining rights for state employees.

At the moment, it appears both Walker and Kleefisch may hold on to their jobs, if recent polls are any indicator.

Kleefisch said she believes Wisconsin voters finally realize the collective bargaining law and other reforms are helping to balance the budget without raising taxes.

“We passed some really big reforms,” she said, acknowledging that they created a lot of controversy that was perhaps unnecessary.

“We still wanted to make sure that we were preserving taxpayers’ desire to do a budget without raising taxes. So that’s what we did, “ she said. “Could we have sold the case longer and made sure that people understood that there was a need, not just a want for this, but a need for this — yes, absolutely.”