Doug LaFollette

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Douglas LaFollette (born June 6, 1940) is a United States academic, environmental activist, and politician in the state of Wisconsin. He is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin. He is a distant cousin of Robert M. La Follette, Sr.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Early Life and Career

LaFollette was born in Des Moines, Iowa and obtained degrees from Marietta College (B.A.), Stanford University (M.S. Chemistry), and Columbia University (Ph.D. Organic Chemistry). He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Known as an environmental activist before running for public office, in 1970 he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson, and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.

[edit] Political career

He first ran for office in 1970, losing the Democratic primary election for the 1st Congressional District to Les Aspin. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate for Kenosha for one term. LaFollette currently serves as the Wisconsin Secretary of State, a post to which he was first elected in 1974. He lost a 1978 bid for re-election, losing to Vel Phillips in the Democratic primary. He was elected to the office again in 1982 and has been the incumbent Secretary of State since that time. He has often run unopposed, and shuns fundraising in the style of former Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire and current Sen. Russ Feingold. In 1990, his opponent -- Madison attorney and radio personality Stuart Levitan -- campaigned on a promise to eliminate the Secretary of State's office, whose duties have been reduced and transferred to other agencies including the State Board of Elections under LaFollette's tenure.

Since being elected Secretary of State, LaFollette has run twice run for federal office. In 1988, he ran for the United States Senate, losing the primary to Herb Kohl. In 1996, he lost another 1st District primary to Lydia Spottswood, who then lost the general election to Mark Neumann.

[edit] Other roles

[edit] 2006 election

On September 12, 2006, LaFollette easily won re-nomination as the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State over primary challenger Scot Ross. [2]

His general election opponent, Republican Sandy Sullivan, drew attention for her self-published 'tell-all' book in which she claims she had affairs with several ex-Green Bay Packers.[3]

[edit] Electoral history

  • 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
    • Doug LaFollette (D), 72%
    • Scot Ross (D), 28%
  • 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [4]
    • Doug LaFollette (D), 57%
    • Sandy Sullivan (R), 38%
    • Michael LaForest (Green), 4.5%

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Vel Phillips
Secretary of State of Wisconsin
1983 – Present
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Robert C. Zimmerman
Secretary of State of Wisconsin
1975 – 1979
Succeeded by
Vel Phillips
State Secretaries of State in the United States
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AL: Beth Chapman
AK: Sean Parnell*
AR: Charlie Daniels
AZ: Jan Brewer
CA: Debra Bowen
CO: Mike Coffman
CT: Susan Bysiewicz
DE: Harriett Smith Windsor
FL: Kurt S. Browning
GA: Karen Handel
HI: James Aiona*
ID: Ben Ysursa
IL: Jesse White

IN: Todd Rokita
IA: Michael Mauro
KS: Ron Thornburgh
KY: Trey Grayson
LA: Jay Dardenne
MD: Mary Kane
MA: Bill Galvin
ME: Matthew Dunlap
MI: Teri Lynn Land
MN: Mark Ritchie
MS: Eric Clark
MO: Robin Carnahan
MT: Brad Johnson

NE: John Gale
NV: Ross Miller
NH: Bill Gardner
NJ: Nina Mitchell Wells
NM: Mary Herrera
NY: Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez
NC: Elaine Marshall
ND: Al Jaeger
OH: Jennifer Brunner
OK: M. Susan Savage
OR: Bill Bradbury
PA: Pedro Cortes

RI: Ralph Mollis
SC: Mark Hammond
SD: Chris Nelson
TN: Riley Darnell
TX: Roger Williams
UT: Gary R. Herbert*
VT: Deb Markowitz
VA: Katherine Hanley
WA: Sam Reed
WV: Betty Ireland
WI: Doug LaFollette
WY: Max Maxfield

*Lt. Governor performing the typical functions of a Secretary of State