Tom Barrett (Wisconsin politician)

Barrett made his first run for office at the age of 28 for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1982, but was unsuccessful. He ran again in 1984, this time successfully,[6] and served two terms before making a successful run for the Wisconsin State Senate in a December 1989 special election.[7][8] He continued to serve in the State Senate until moving to higher office in 1993.[9]

Barrett decided to run for governor in 2002 when he decided to leave Washington D.C. after nearly a decade of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. He did so as a means spend more time in Milwaukee and Wisconsin with his family. Additionally, Wisconsin had lost a seat after the 2000 Census, and the new map resulted in Barrett's district being merged with the 4th district on the other side of Milwaukee, represented by fellow Democrat Jerry Kleczka. Although the merged 4th was more Barrett's district than Kleczka's, Barrett announced his candidacy for governor in 2001, effectively handing the merged 4th to Kleczka.[25]

In a heated Democratic primary, Barrett came in a close second to then-Attorney General Jim Doyle, who went on to win the general election.[26]

Barrett speaks with a Wisconsin dairy farmer

In August 2009, Doyle announced his decision to not seek reelection to a third term in 2010, leading many to believe Barrett would run for governor.[27] On August 25, a group named "Wisconsin for Tom Barrett" formed, encouraging Barrett to run.[28] On October 26, a website, TomForGovernor.com, was launched after Barbara Lawton, the Lieutenant Governor, backed out.[29] A story in The Politico reported that President Barack Obama's political director Patrick Gaspard met with Barrett on November 4, 2009, amid speculation that the White House wanted him to run for Governor of Wisconsin.[30]

Barrett ended months of speculation by officially announcing on November 15, 2009, that he would enter the race for governor.[31] Barrett's campaign raised more than $750,000 in its first seven weeks. In an e-mail thanking supporters, Barrett said his campaign had more than $1.5 million in the bank, a significant start given that he did not declare candidacy for the Democratic primary until November 15, 2009.[32] Barrett ultimately lost the election to Scott Walker.[33]

After the contentious collective bargaining dispute,[35] Walker's disapproval ratings varied between 50–51%, while his approval ratings varied between 47–49% in 2011.[36][37] In a survey of 768 Wisconsin voters conducted between February 24–27, 2011, during the 2011 Wisconsin budget protests, a poll by Public Policy Polling found that 52% of respondents said they would vote for Barrett if the election had been held then, while 45% said they would vote for Walker.[38][39] Wisconsin law made Walker eligible for recall beginning January 3, 2012, and the Wisconsin Democratic Party had called it a "priority" to remove him from office, although the signatures on the petitions were not verified.

Barrett ended months of speculation by officially announcing on March 30, 2012, that he would enter the race for governor.[40] The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the Wisconsin Education Association Council, which already supported another Democrat who had announced, had met with Barrett in late December 2011 and tried unsuccessfully to keep him from entering the race.[41] On May 8, Barrett won the Democratic primary for the recall election.[42]

A Marquette Law School Poll released on May 30 (mirroring other polling outlets) had Barrett trailing Walker 52-45% among likely voters. The results represent a six-point increase for Walker over Barrett since Marquette's earlier poll in late April. The poll's margin of error for likely voters was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.[43] Odysseas, a contributor to the progressive blog Daily Kos, had questioned if the Marquette University Law school poll oversampled "right wingers." For example, a poll by Public Policy Polling conducted May 11–13 gave Republicans a 7% edge over Democrats in terms of likely voters, unlikely given Wisconsin voter registration patterns. However, in retrospect the Marquette poll accurately reflected the Wisconsin electorate's vote.[44][45] However, the same poll showed President Obama holding a lead over Mitt Romney 51-43. On May 21, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel endorsed Scott Walker over Barrett arguing "[there is] no reason to remove Walker from office." The Journal-Sentinel had previously endorsed Walker over Barrett in 2010.[46] Walker defeated Barrett in the June 5 recall election by garnering 53.2%-46.3%,[47] a similar margin to the 2010 election. Walker thus became the first Governor in US history to survive a recall election.[42]

Barrett was the subject of national news headlines when he was attacked outside the Wisconsin State Fair on August 15, 2009, by a man wielding a pipe. Barrett and some family members were leaving the fair when he responded to a woman's cries for help. They encountered a man and a woman in a heated confrontation and, while the mayor called police, the man, 20-year-old Anthony J. Peters, attacked him with a pipe. Barrett was hospitalized after the incident and again later for reconstructive surgery for his hand.[49] Governor Jim Doyle visited Barrett in the hospital the next morning and said he "found him to be in good spirits and looking good considering what happened... The Mayor's heroic actions clearly saved a woman and others from harm", Doyle said in a statement. Peters was arrested the next day.[49] Both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden telephoned Barrett in the hospital to inquire as to his condition; Obama told Barrett that he went above the call of duty and said he was proud of Barrett's actions. Barrett's injuries included broken teeth, a permanently damaged hand, and blows to the head where he was struck with the pipe.[50] Peters plead guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison and a further 10 years of supervision.[51]