Gov. Jim Doyle and Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton kicked off their 2006 gubernatorial campaign Wednesday night at the Concourse Hotel, 1 W. Dayton St., with a plea for all state citizens to 'keep Wisconsin blue.'
Prominent Wisconsin Democrats, a slew of UW-Madison students and Madison community members flooded the Capitol Ballroom with signs and support for the hopeful candidates.
'What would happen if we didn't have the support of strong veto pens'? asked state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, when he introduced the candidates to the cheering crowd. 'We've got a lot of work to do, to make sure the east wing stays in blue hands.'
Doyle spoke to the crowd on how he cut Wisconsin's $3.2 billion deficit in the past three years, and why he said it is crucial the governor's office stays out of Republican hands.
Doyle also focused a large portion of his speech around issues facing the university.
He said he could not imagine what would have happened to the future of education in the state if he had not vetoed the proposed $34 million cuts from the state budget supporting the university.
'I've got a pretty good veto pen,' he said.
Doyle added the state should go beyond keeping the door open for stem cell research. He said Wisconsin is a leader in biomedical research and Wisconsin researchers will find cures for diseases thought incurable.
Lawton also took her turn to address what she called 'the most sophisticated political crowd in the state.'
Lawton said she refuses to have the children of Wisconsin study on abacuses or keep women in the kitchen.
'We want Wisconsin to be worthy of its motto: forward,' she said. 'The [Republicans] are replaying and it's like [the movie] 'Groundhog's Day.''
Many members of UW-Madison's College Democrats attended to support their bid for the governorship.
UW-Madison junior and State Chair of the UW-Madison College Democrats Awais Khaleel said this election is an extremely important one for college students.
He said issues like health care, civil rights and tuition are issues in the upcoming election that will have an effect on students at the university.
'[Doyle] fought on behalf of students, and we want to see him continue with these plans,' Khaleel said.
