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2 prosecutors to square off for attorney general

By: Associated Press//August 13, 2014//

2 prosecutors to square off for attorney general

By: Associated Press//August 13, 2014//

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By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press

happ-schimelMADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two prosecutors will face off this fall to become Wisconsin’s top law enforcement officer after a rural district attorney won the Democratic primary for attorney general, the most-competitive statewide race in an election that drew only about 10 percent of eligible voters to the polls.

Susan Happ, who rode a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in her only campaign ad, handily defeated two other Democratic challengers Tuesday to win the nomination for attorney general.

Happ, the Jefferson County district attorney, will face fellow district attorney Brad Schimel, a Republican from Waukesha County, in the Nov. 4 general election. Happ won by about 20 points over state Rep. Jon Richards, with Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne a distance third.

Schimel said in a statement that his race against Happ will give voters “a clear choice between two starkly different candidates.”

“We’ve listened over the past six months as my opponent has repeatedly indicated she would pick and choose which laws, and more importantly, which provisions of our Wisconsin Constitution she will defend and enforce,” Schimel said. “I will hold sacred my oath to defend our constitution.”

Happ said she wasn’t going to change the approach that brought her to victory in the primary.

“I’m going to keep doing what I’ve been doing … (talking) about protecting our families, protecting our rights and keeping the partisan politics out of that office,” Happ told The Associated Press. “I’m just really excited that message resonated and it’s going to resonate in the general as well. We’re not going to see a big shift in my messaging. I’ve run on what I believe in.”

The attorney general’s seat is open after incumbent Republican J.B. Van Hollen decided against seeking a third term.

Mark Schaitel, a retired pizza restaurant owner from Madison, voted for Happ because he said he liked her position on wanting to rehabilitate drug offenders. But Schaitel and other voters said they had a hard time differentiating among the three Democrats.

The candidates for attorney general struggled to differentiate themselves in a campaign where they largely agreed on most issues. Happ was the only one who doesn’t support making first-time drunken driving offenses a crime, rather than just a traffic citation as it is now.

Ozanne lagged in fundraising, while Richards was the first to get on television with an ad touting his experience. Happ released her first spot a week before the election, showing her riding a motorcycle and emphasizing her experience as a prosecutor.

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