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State Sen. Jim Holperin, D-Conover, announced this afternoon that he won't seek re-election this fall. "Politics and legislating are fascinating and fulfilling work and I’ve enjoyed 20 years of it in the State Assembly, State Senate and as a cabinet secretary," Holperin said in a statement. "I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, but now there are other things I want to do."

<p>44EAGLE RIVER, Wis (Reuters) - Voters in two Wisconsin State Senate districts head to the polls on Tuesday in the last of nine recall elections triggered by the fight earlier this year over Republican-backed curbs on the union rights of public workers.</p>

We Can WIN in Wisconsin 2 More Times! With a one vote margin in the Wisconsin Senate and a RINO Republican threatening to change parties, the election on Tuesday to recall two Democrat Senators is crucial. Last week we beat back the recalls of four Republican Senators to keep conservative control of the Senate.  Now, we must win at least one of these two seats to keep the RINO from giving liberals control of the Senate.While conservative Governor Scott Walker and Republicans were trying to restore economic health to Wisconsin, the liberal Democrat Senators fled the state to avoid...

Wis. Democrats hope to hold ground in 2 recallsBy The Associated Press • Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Wisconsin Democrats sought Tuesday to hold the ground they gained in last week's recall elections by fending off Republican attempts to oust two senators who fled the state in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker's proposal curbing public employee collective bargaining rights. Democrats needed to win at least three of six recalls last week targeting Republicans, but they only captured two. That means the best they can manage from Tuesday's elections is to keep the ground they gained, which left the Senate in Republican...

Kim Simac of Eagle River Wisconsin is running against one of the Democrats who fled the state to keep Wisconsin in the red and avoid the budget bill. http://www.kimsimacforstatesenate.com/ Jonathan Steitz of Kenosha, Wisconsin is running agains the other Democrat who is up for recall. http://www.steitzforsenate.com/ Today is the election. The polls are probably open. Please vote if you can!

As part of our ongoing efforts to provide you with original political content, Red Racing Horses has commissioned a poll of the 8/16 Recall Election between Kim Simac (R) and Jim Holperin (D). The race is extremely close, with Holperin holding a 51-49 lead with an MOE of +- 2.62. This is going down to the wire folks. The poll was conducted by We Ask America over the weekend, and shows the race too close to call, but an electorate very unsatisfied with the President. Here are the results: Sample Size:  1384 MOE:  +/- 2.62 Political Breakdown:  28-28-43 (Democrats, Republicans, Independents)...

GOP holds onto state SenateThe Associated Press Republicans held onto control of the Wisconsin Senate on Tuesday, beating back four Democratic challengers in a recall election despite an intense political backlash against GOP support for Gov. Scott Walker’s effort to curb public employees’ union rights. **SNIP** Turnout was strong in the morning and steady in the afternoon in communities such as Whitefish Bay, Menomonee Falls and Shorewood, where Sen. Alberta Darling was one of the four Republicans to hold onto her seat. After trailing much of the night, it wasn’t until about 2 a.m. that Darling could claim victory for...

Holperin, Simac compete in recalls to represent North WoodsBy Don Behm of the Journal Sentinel Aug. 11, 2011 9:07 p.m. Republican Kim Simac, a tea party activist and small business owner in Vilas County, describes her opponent in Tuesday's 12th Senate District recall election as a "stale, career politician." Simac, 52, accuses first-term state Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) of having lost touch with North Woods residents and their concerns long before he drove to Illinois in February with 13 other Democratic state senators and stayed there for three weeks in an unsuccessful attempt to block a state collective bargaining law....

Final two recall elections could lead to state’s first tea party senatorJESSICA VANEGEREN | The Capital Times Posted: Thursday, August 11, 2011 8:15 am Wednesday morning, just hours after state Republicans learned they had retained control of the state Senate by defeating four of the six Democratic challengers in the state’s historic recall elections, a flurry of activity began in the two remaining Senate districts up for grabs on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the fourth and final recall election day. The seats, held by Democratic incumbents Jim Holperin of Conover and Robert Wirch of Pleasant Prairie, are the last of the...

The group collecting signatures to recall Wisconsin State Democrat Senator Jim Holperin (http://recalljim.com) has announced that they have more than enough signatures to force a recall election. They needed at least 16,000. They have 23,300.

A Lakewood man has asked a judge to compel state Sen. Jim Holperin to show up at the Capitol for a vote on the guv’s budget repair bill. The complaint claims Holperin, D-Conover, is neglecting his constitutional duties, which Kevin Barthel says includes attendance at session days. Because the Senate can't vote on the repair bill with Dems boycotting the Capitol, the state could miss refinancing some of its debt to save millions. Without action, layoff notices will be sent to government employees, including residents of Holperin’s district, the suit argues, causing harm to his constituents. Dems have offered alternatives...

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: "Sen. Jim Holperin (D-Conover) said Democratic senators were to meet in caucus again on Saturday night at an undisclosed location in Illinois. Holperin said the senators expect to remain out of state through the weekend, but eventually will have to make a decision – either to come back to Wisconsin, or because Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans move on the issue of ensuring the rights of public employee unions. The senator said he and his Democratic colleagues have been getting together at least once a day. Most meet personally, but some have called in by...