Doug La Follette
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Douglas J. La Follette (born June 6, 1940) is an American academic, environmental activist, and politician from the state of Wisconsin. A Democrat, he is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin.[1]
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[edit] Early life and career
La Follette was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Marietta College, his Master of Science in chemistry from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Columbia University. He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha.
Known as an environmentalist before running for public office, he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson in 1970 and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.
[edit] Political career
La Follette first ran for office in the 1970 U.S. House of Representatives election, losing to Les Aspin in the Democratic primary for the Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. La Follette served in the Wisconsin State Senate for Kenosha for one term.
La Follette was elected Secretary of State of Wisconsin in 1974. He unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin on a ticket with Governor Martin Schreiber in 1978. In 1982, he was again elected state Secretary of State, defeating incumbent Vel Phillips.
La Follette has been the Secretary of State ever since. He has run unopposed several times and shuns fundraising in the style of former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire. 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 La Follette's tenure.
Since being elected Secretary of State, La Follette has run twice run for federal office. In 1988, he ran for U.S. Senate, losing the primary to Herb Kohl. In 1996, he made another bid for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing in the Democratic primary for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district to Lydia Spottswood, who went on to lose the general election to Mark Neumann.
[edit] Other roles
- La Follette is the author of the 1991 book The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth.
- He has also served on the board of directors of Friends of the Earth and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
- In 2003 he ran for, and was elected to, the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three-year term. He did not seek reelection in 2006.
- He was a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003.
[edit] 2006 election
On September 12, 2006, La Follette 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] 2010 election
La Follette is expected to run for another term in 2010. David King, a Milwaukee Republican, has announced that he will run for the office.[4]
[edit] Electoral history
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
- Doug La Follette (D), 72%
- Scot Ross (D), 28%
- 2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [2]
- Doug La Follette (D), 57%
- Sandy Sullivan (R), 38%
- Michael LaForest (Green), 4.5%
[edit] External links
- Wispolitics.com article on the convention straw poll.
- Clean Wisconsin
- Office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State
- An article by Doug La Follette on Earth Day and the legacy of Sen. Gaylord Nelson
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2122&keyword=la+follette
- ^ http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=64241
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/10/packer.election.ap/index.html
- ^ Forster, Stacy (Sep 2, 2009.). "Two Republicans seek statewide office". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.[1]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Zimmerman |
Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1975–1979 |
Succeeded by Vel Phillips |
| Preceded by Vel Phillips |
Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1983— |
Incumbent |
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