Democrats in the state Senate removed Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, from her position as Majority Leader Wednesday, replacing her with state Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, partially in response to recent budget negotiations that ended less then 24 hours earlier.
Decker said in a press conference that his decision to challenge Robson had been considered over several weeks and that other Senators had urged him to do so.
Some Senate Democrats said they felt cut out of the negotiating process by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, according to Decker.
I'm going to work with Jim Doyle the best I can,"" Decker said. ""But my first priority is going to be the welfare of Senate Democrats.""
Decker said the decision was not solely based on the budget process and that the Senate Democrats largely just wanted to redefine their message. He said his leadership style was ""more to the point"" than Robson's and he brought a ""stronger message.""
Robson spokesperson Josh Wescott said she was surprised and could not point to any single event that perhaps triggered the vote, which was actually proposed in a closed meeting of Democratic Senators Tuesday night immediately after the budget passed.
Wescott also said the leadership style of Decker may have affected the vote, which may have been as close as 10 to 8.
""In her words, conveyed to me, there was a feeling among some in the caucus they decided to go with more muscle,"" Wescott said.
State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said he felt the vote was a bad idea and improperly timed so soon after the budget. Risser said he voted for Robson for her ability to keep the Senate Democrats united over the past few months.
According to Risser, some people may have been taking out their frustrations over the budget process on Robson, though he said different people had various reasons for how they voted.
Ryan Murray, spokesperson for state Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald , R-Juneau, said Fitzgerald will have to ""wait and see"" the differences in leadership styles between the two Democrats.
UW-Madison Political Science Professor Charles Franklin said the fact the leadership challenge was a surprise might say something about Robson's knowledge of her own caucus.
""She was faced with a revolution and didn't even know they were passing out the torches,"" Franklin said.
