Three Republicans are running in next month’s primary election for the state assembly in the Wauwatosa-Brookfield area and are vying for the right to run against incumbent Democrat Robyn Vining, one of the most liberal members of the entire assembly. But two of the three candidates don’t seem very Republican at all and one of them is a Walker recall signer.
I reported two years ago when Linda Boucher first ran for the seat that she signed the Walker recall petition. A member of the Elmbrook School Board, Boucher did not win the 2018 primary for assembly. But she’s back again run on another non-conservative platform. In addition to being a recall signer, Boucher has also called for freeing repeat drunk drivers from prison, telling a WisconsinEye interviewer that alcoholism is a disease that requires treatment. It’s not surprisng Boucher is opposed to imprisoning repeat drunk drivers. Her husband, Peter Pagonis, has six OWI convictions, the most recent from 2017.
A second candidate in the race, Steven Shevey, says right on his website he’s not really a Republican and ran in the past as an Independent but knows the only way to get elected is to be a member of one of the two parties.
The third GOP candidate, Bonnie Lee, is a solid conservative and backed by many local conservative leaders. The winner takes on Vining in the November general election.
Mark Belling
July 6