Sept. 6, 2022 5:30p
(WGTD)---The state Assembly seat held by Robin Vos is solidly Republican, but the entry of a second write-in candidate could prove to be troublesome for the Assembly Speaker.
Democrat Joel Jacobsen tells the Journal Times that he plans to run as a write-in candidate in the Nov. 8th election. The former Burlington alderman ran twice before against Vos and failed. But this time there's a new twist in that Vos is expected to face a write-in from the right: Adam Steen.
Steen announced his write-in campaign after narrowly losing to Vos in the August Republican primary election.
Vos and the two write-ins--if they follow through on their pledge to run aggressive campaigns--will split the vote.
But Carthage Political Science Prof. Jerry Mast says there's no guarantee who'll come out on top. "Smart money is still very much on Vos," Mast says. "But in these times, surprises happen more often than they used to." Mast cites as an example last week's special election for Alaska's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in which a Democrat beat Sarah Palin and another Republican.
Mast said it's possible that some of Steen's supporters could return to Vos in the general election if they are troubled by the potential implications of a three-way split. "How many return to his fold will be a real test of the degree of division within the Wisconsin GOP," Mast said.
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