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Wisconsin state executive official elections, 2013
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Wisconsin's 2013 elections Other executive offices • State legislative special elections • Local ballot measures • Recalls • Candidate ballot access |
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One state executive position - Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction - was up for election in 2013 in the state of Wisconsin. The primary election was on February 19, 2013, followed by a general election on April 2, 2013.[1] Incumbent Tony Evers was first elected in April 2009 and won re-election to a second term against challenger Don Pridemore on April 2, 2013.[2]
Candidates had until January 2, 2013 to file.[3] The Superintendent of Public Instruction is a nonpartisan position.
- Tony Evers Incumbent
- Don Pridemore - Republican state representative
Results
| Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Tony Evers Incumbent |
61.1% | 487,030 | |
| Nonpartisan | Don Pridemore | 38.7% | 308,050 | |
| Scattering | Various | 0.2% | 1,431 | |
| Total Votes | 796,511 | |||
| Election Results via Wisconsin Government Accountability Board (dead link). | ||||
Key Dates
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 18 | First day for in person early voting |
| March 28 | Last day to request absentee ballots by mail (except for indefinitely-confined and military voters) |
| April 2 | General Election Day |
| April 12 | Last day to file petition for recount and appeal of recount. |
| May 15 | Deadline for Chairman of State Government Accountability Board to certify election results. |
Race background
Incumbent Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers ran successfully for re-election in 2013.[2]
Unlike previous elections with multiple candidates, only one challenger submitted the required signatures to qualify for the ballot before the January 2, 2013, deadline, eliminating the need for the scheduled primary election on February 19, 2013, primary election.[4][5]
Evers and Pridemore competed in the general election on April 2, 2013, which Evers won.[6]
Candidates
The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board officially certified the following list of candidates on January 2, 2013.[7]
- Tony Evers Incumbent
- Don Pridemore - Republican state representative
Tony Evers (incumbent)
Campaign themes
On his 2013 campaign website Evers outlined the following three issues:[8]
- Ensuring Every Child is a Graduate: "Tony adopted higher standards, better assessments and new student supports to ensure all kids are college and career ready. He will continue to work with parents, educators and legislators to set high standards and adopt innovative educational practices."
- Standing up for Kids and Educators: "Tony fought back against historic budget cuts, opposing a back room deals that expanded school vouchers while cutting $1.6 billion from public schools. He will continue to push for adequate resources to ensure school reform does become a code work for funding cuts."
- Championing School Finance Reform: "Tony’s popular Fair Funding for Our Future plan would protect kids, invest in our classroooms, account for poverty, and lower the tax levy. Tony will re-introduce the plan as part of his 2013-15 Budget proposal."
Don Pridemore (challenger)
Campaign themes
During the campaign, Pridemore said his priorities for the Department of Public Instruction were empowering local school boards and administrators to supersede teachers unions as the controlling forces behind state public schools, with the help of Act 10, and placing more emphasis on public schools and conservative style teaching, instead of "choice" schools, or charter schools, to meet the demands of the real world labor force. “There are so many jobs available where the kids coming out of tech schools and high schools don’t have the skills that match those jobs,” he told the Portage Daily Register in March 2013. “We need to make more connection with the actual world.”[9]
He outlined the top issues on his official campaign website, which included the following:[10]
- Local Control:
"It is time to get the power and the money out of Madison and back to the local schools. We spend over 500 million dollars per year on special programs. School districts should be allowed to spend that money where they decide it would be most beneficial."
- School Boards:
“School boards should be given the freedom to hire or allow a competent, well trained school official or employee who is experienced with returning force whenever force is required. Police officers, either retired or still on duty, who are trained to respond to school safety situations are the best example of such a qualified person."
- Virtual Schools:
"There can be no doubt that online learning presents the greatest opportunity to take education to the next level for all Americans. Access to specialized instruction that was out of reach 10 years ago is now only a click of the mouse away. We must allow technology and education to come together."
Debates
With fewer than three weeks remaining before the election, incumbent state superintendent Tony Evers and challenger Don Pridemore debated on March 13, 2013, during a Wisconsin Association of School Boards meeting in Madison. The nonpartisan race focused largely on education proposals put forth by Gov. Scott Walker (R) in his budget plan.[11]
Pridemore, a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, supported Walker's plan to expand the use of vouchers in the state while not increasing public school spending. Meanwhile, Evers, who was first elected in 2009, opposed both measures and wanted to increase spending by $225 per student.[12] Pridemore said budgets were tight and schools should not expect more money.[13]
On the topic of school safety, Pridemore proposed allowing schools to have armed volunteers for security purposes, a plan that Evers criticized as risking the schools becoming like the "wild west." Despite their many differences, both candidates agreed in opposing Governor Walker’s proposal to establish a separate school board to oversee charter schools.[14]
Noteworthy events
On March 17, 2013, the Associated Press reported on the existence of a memo from Pridemore's campaign that listed five members of the press and their media outlets, who were blacklisted for what Pridemore considered liberal bias. The memo was provided to the AP by one of the blacklisted reporters, Jack Craver of The Capital Times.
The memo said:
| “ | If the reporter requests an interview, they must submit their questions in a written form and they will receive a written response to only those questions we want to respond to. These are all LIBERAL's and have chosen to parse words, phrases and spin my responses to fit their agendas. If they continue to spin our written responses, they will be ignored in the future[16] | ” |
The memo also directed campaign staff to document and monitor all interactions with the blacklisted reporters using a spreadsheet. However, it did not include specific examples of the biased reporting that prompted the campaign to exclude Craver and the others.[15]
Campaign finance
On March 25, 2013, one week before the election, The Associated Press reported that incumbent Tony Evers’ re-election campaign had spent nearly $210,000 since January and was expected to finish the campaign with approximately $40,000 in cash on hand.[17] These figures were based on the latest campaign finance reports submitted by the candidates’ committees to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. According to the AP, challenger Don Pridemore’s last filing, which covered January 1 to February 4, showed spending of less than $20,000. However, since most of Evers’ spending took place between February 5 and March 18, it was difficult to accurately compare the candidates’ financial positions heading into the April 2 election without an updated financial report from Pridemore.
Campaign sites and media
Evers
Pridemore
News & additional reading
- 2013 Elections Review: Wisconsin Superintendent Tony Evers glides into his second term stronger than ever April 3, 2013
- Wisconsin superintendent of education seeks re-election in 2013 November 30, 2012
- Candidates for Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction debate in Madison March 14, 2013
- The Greendale Patch Election Preview (dead link) March 22, 2013
See also
External links
- Wisconsin Government Accountability Board-Division of Elections
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Footnotes
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "2013 Spring Election" (dead link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin April 2 election results," accessed April 3, 2013
- ↑ Gazette Xtra, "State school superintendent seek second term," November 9, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate List-Spring 2013 Elections," accessed January 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Green Bay Press Gazette, "State Superintendent Supreme Court Justice will face challenges," accessed January 8, 2013
- ↑ WTAQ, "State public school superintendent candidates take jabs at each other," accessed January 8, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, "Candidate List-Spring 2013 Elections," accessed January 2, 2013 (dead link)
- ↑ Tony Evers, "Issues," accessed February 5, 2013
- ↑ Portage Daily Register, "Pridemore: Take control of education from union," March 8, 2013
- ↑ Pridemore for Wisconsin, "Issues," accessed March 12, 2013
- ↑ WKOW.COM, "UPDATE: Evers and Pridemore offer different visions in debate," March 13, 2013
- ↑ Twin Cities, "Wisconsin: Evers, Pridemore clash in education superintendent debate," March 13, 2013
- ↑ WXOW, "Evers, Pridemore clash in superintendent debate," March 13, 2013
- ↑ Wisconsin Radio Network, "Stark contrast in state superintendent race," March 13, 2013
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Wisconsin Gazette, "Wisconsin Republican's campaign blacklists reporters," March 19, 2013
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ nbc15.com, "Superintendent Candidate Evers Spends over 200 Thousand Dollars on Re-election Campaign," March 25, 2013
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