Susan Happ
Susan Happ was a Democratic candidate for Attorney General of Wisconsin in the 2014 elections.[1] Susan Happ lost the general election on November 4, 2014.
Biography
Happ attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1990 to 1994, earning a B.A. in journalism and Russian. From 1996 to 1998, she went on to earn her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Happ is a licensed attorney in the state of Wisconsin.[2] From 1998 to 2004, Happ was an associate attorney at Monogue & Witt, S.C. and from 2005 to 2008, she was the owner of Happ Law Office, LLC.
Happ was elected to the position of Jefferson County District Attorney in 2008 and won re-election in 2012. She became Jefferson County's first Democratic district attorney since 1938.[2]
Education
- B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1994
- J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1998[2]
Elections
2014
Happ ran for election to the office of Attorney General of Wisconsin. Happ won the Democratic nomination in the primary on August 12. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Results
Primary results
| Wisconsin Attorney General Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Susan Happ |
52.1% | 144,727 | ||
| Jon Richards | 32.5% | 90,215 | ||
| Ismael Ozanne | 15.4% | 42,627 | ||
| Total Votes | 277,569 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. | ||||
General election
| Attorney General of Wisconsin, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Brad Schimel |
51.5% | 1,211,388 | |
| Democratic | Susan Happ | 45.4% | 1,066,866 | |
| Libertarian | Thomas Nelson | 3% | 70,951 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scattering | 0% | 1,120 | |
| Total Votes | 2,350,325 | |||
| Election results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board | ||||
Race background
Incumbent J.B. Van Hollen (R) did not run for a third term in 2014, leaving an open seat. Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel was unopposed in the Republican primary. Schimel's Democratic opponent, Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, defeated two challengers to win the nomination. A third candidate, Libertarian Thomas Nelson, also appeared on the November 4 general election ballot.
Polling in mid-September showed that the two major-party candidates were even, with Schimel at 39 percent and Happ at 38 percent.[3] The candidates differed on issues such as how they would respond to the lawsuit challenging the 2006 voter-approved constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.[4] Happ said that she would not defend the ban while Schimel said that he would defend any part of the Wisconsin Constitution.
Both campaigns accused their opponent of being soft on crime. Democrats accused Schimel of failing to secure longer sentences for sex offenders while Republicans claimed that Happ deferred prosecution of an alleged sex offender who had purchased a house from Happ until after he paid off his debt.[5]
Debates
October 12 debate
Schimel and Happ discussed how they would approach the duties of the attorney general's office during a debate sponsored by Marquette University. The candidates were asked how they would defend laws like voter ID requirements and a same-sex marriage ban. Schimel argued that he would defend state law because the attorney general does not pick which laws to enforce based on personal politics. Happ responded by saying that the attorney general is not a "robot," and should not blindly follow state laws that are unconstitutional or run afoul of other principles.[6]
Schimel and Happ found consensus in their skepticism that larger penalties for first drunk-driving offenses would curb such offenses. The candidates also agreed that the attorney general's office should be more proactive with treatment programs that could reduce the population of state prisons. Schimel did not have a definitive answer to whether he would defend a state law barring coordination between candidates and outside groups. The issue emerged as prosecutors investigated whether Gov. Scott Walker's (R) campaign coordinated with conservative groups during an effort to recall him in 2012. Happ responded to accusations by Schimel supporters that she was lenient in a child-molestation case in 2012 because the accused purchased her house. The Democratic candidate noted that she recused herself from the case.[6]
Campaign themes
2014
Happ submitted the following statement to Ballotpedia regarding her political philosophy:[2]
- "Wisconsin deserves an Attorney General who will bring justice to victims of crime, protect consumers and working families. I will be a leader in bringing our state together."
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Happ is married to Dale Rupprecht and has one daughter, Haley. She enjoys running, reading and riding her Harley Davidson motorcycle.[2]
Happ is also affiliated with the following organizations:[2]
- Tomorrow's Hope, Inc
- Rotary Club of Jefferson
- Reducing Recidivism Coalition
- Jefferson County Community Coordinated Response Team
- Jefferson County Drug Task Force Steering Committee
- Domestic Homicide Prevention Review Team
- Jefferson County Heroin Task Force
- Jefferson County Chiefs & Sheriff Association
- Jefferson County Bar Association
- Wisconsin Bar Association
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Susan + Happ + Wisconsin + Attorney + General"
- All stories may not be relevant to this page due to the nature of the search engine.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidates Registered by Office," February 17, 2014 (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Information submitted on Ballotpedia’s biographical information submission form on July 14, 2014
- ↑ Green Bay Press-Gazette, "Poll: Governor, attorney general races are dead heats," September 19, 2014
- ↑ FOX 6 Now, "In a crowded Attorney General race — Susan Happ gets the Democratic nomination; will face Brad Schimel," August 11, 2014
- ↑ Pioneer Press, "Wisconsin attorney general race focuses on sexual assault prosecution," September 25, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Green Bay Press-Gazette, "Attorney general debate shows differing philosophies," October 12, 2014
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