Oshkosh Deputy Mayor Jessica King will challenge state Sen. Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac, in his impending recall election this summer.
According to Fond du Lac County Democratic Chair Rich Mantz, King will make her announcement Wednesday at noon.
In 2008, King lost to Hopper by less than 200 votes, and the recall campaign against Hopper has already submitted the requisite signatures to the Government Accountability Board.
""I think Jessica King would be a fantastic candidate,"" state Senate Democratic Committee Executive Director Kory Kozloski said. ""I think she's done a lot for the community she has been serving up there for the last few years.""
Kozloski said Hopper's constituents are frustrated with his vote for the budget repair law and that he ""forgot who he's supposed to be fighting for.""
In addition to his vote for the controversial collective bargaining law, Hopper has also recently been accused of living outside the district with his 26-year-old mistress while he and his wife are separated.
Hopper's campaign was not available for comment.
With petitions against Hopper and state Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-LaCrosse, already filed with the GAB, Kozloski said the campaign against Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair and state Senator Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, is gaining ground.
""We have every reason to believe that we will be able to get her on a ballot as well,"" Kozloski said. On the Democratic side, organizers in Green Bay say they are making headway on the petition against state Sen. David Hansen, D-Green Bay, who fled the state along with the other 13 Democratic senators.
—Ariel Shapiro
