With the Pentagon expected to mobilize 80,000 troops over the next few months, concern has risen over at least four Republican state legislators who may be called to active duty, possibly affecting override attempts and 2004 re-election campaigns, according to WisPolitics.com.
State Reps. Stephen Nass, R-Palmyra, Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin and Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, as well as state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, serve as part-time soldiers.
Fitzgerald, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves, said chances are low that he will be called up in the near future. However, he said as the Pentagon mobilizes more troops, there are possibilities of him and other legislators having to serve active duty.
According to UW-Madison political science professor Dennis Dresang, if a state legislator leaves for active duty, he or she is not able to vote on legislative affairs.
\We don't have any particular provision for filling in their place. We wouldn't call a special election to fill that seat unless they resigned,"" he said.
If Fitzgerald were mobilized, the Republicans would keep their majority in the Senate, but an override would need five Democrats instead of four to meet the required 22 votes.
If Nass, Gundrum and Suder were mobilized, the Republicans would still have a majority of 56-39, but would need to work harder to get the 64 votes necessary to override Gov. Doyle's vetoes.
""It will definitely be more difficult to override vetoes, but as we've seen so far, none of the overrides have been successful, but this just makes it more complicated,"" Dresang said.
Fitzgerald said if legislators had to leave for active duty, three staff members would represent their district in their absence.
Suder, Gundrum and Nass are also up for re-election in 2004, meaning they will have to rely on staff and family to run their campaigns if they are mobilized.
""The political answer [to this issue] is more ambiguous,"" said UW-Madison political science professor Kenneth Mayer. ""If you're an opponent, how do you run against someone who's in a potential war zone?""
According to Fitzgerald, it would be difficult to beat an opponent serving on active duty overseas.
Mayer said mobilization would not drastically affect the Republican's political concerns, as they still have majorities in the state Assembly and Senate.
Fitzgerald agreed, saying although the absences of himself and the other three state representatives would reduce Republican numbers, the party would still retain leadership in the state Legislature.
