Clinton arrived in the state on Friday morning, and other party leaders are coming. Dems roll out the big guns for recall

MILWAUKEE — The Democratic cavalry finally arrived this week in Wisconsin.

After grumbling by local Democrats about the dearth of national support for the recall of Gov. Scott Walker, a string of the party’s biggest stars filed into the state to convince the faithful that victory remains within reach.


Former President Bill Clinton’s Friday morning rally for Tom Barrett at a downtown park here followed visits by Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Democratic Governors Association Chairman Martin O’Malley over the past two days to raise money and energize the base ahead of Tuesday’s high-stakes election.

“Ordinarily, I’m against recall elections,” Clinton said here on a chilly morning, before hundreds of Barrett supporters in front of the Milwaukee River. “But sometimes it is the only way to avoid a disastrous course.”

The last-minute influx of big guns reflected state Democrats’ belief that nationalizing the race in the final stretch will boost their chances as the party scrambles to close the gap between the Milwaukee mayor and Walker. And it signaled that national officials haven’t completely given up on the race, despite the uphill climb.

While Wasserman Schultz previously downplayed the significance of Tuesday’s result beyond Wisconsin borders, Clinton raised the stakes by telling Democrats that wealthy Republican donors soon would be surveying the country for other targets if Walker survives.

“I can just hear it now Wednesday, all those people poured all this money into Wisconsin. If you don’t show up and vote, they’ll say, ‘See, we’ve got it now. We’re finally going to break every union in America, we’re going to break every government in America, we’re going to stop worrying about the middle class. … We got our way now, we got it all. Divide and conquer works.’ You tell them no,” Clinton said.

Democrats pointed to the three events in as many days as proof Barrett is gaining momentum and within striking distance of Walker.

“They clearly see it as winnable,” said Sachin Chheda, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. “I don’t think you’d have O’Malley, Schultz and Clinton in [Wisconsin] in the last week if they see it as a lost cause.”

But the help from the hotshots might be too little, too late.

Barrett has lagged Walker in a string of recent polls, trailing by 7 points in the most recent public survey released Wednesday. Walker’s campaign has outspent Barrett by about 10 to 1, allowing him to dominate the airwaves. And this late in the game, there are virtually no undecided voters left to sway.

When Clinton paused during a portion of his 20-minute stem-winder to say, “You just have to decide,” one man in the crowd was heard responding, “We’ve decided.”

With the persuasion portion of the campaign all but over, Democrats are training their focus on blowing up turnout to a level that even pollsters aren’t expecting. At the Clinton rally Friday, attendees were approached by volunteers in fluorescent jackets wielding clipboards asking for their name, phone number and email address. The information will be used to enlist new volunteers as well as remind supporters over the weekend to get out to vote or encourage their friends and family to do so.

Before Clinton took the stage, state Democratic chairman Mike Tate asked the crowd to take out their cell phones and call one person who may not vote if they aren’t asked.

“We can together swing the balance of this election by the people we call right here,” Tate said. “This election could come down to one vote.”

While the DNC chairwoman asserted on C-SPAN Sunday that there wouldn’t be any repercussions to the race beyond Wisconsin, when she arrived on the ground Wednesday, she appeared to tweak that messaging.

“We clearly have a lot at stake here in Wisconsin,” Wasserman Schultz said, noting like Clinton, that a win for Barrett would send a strong message to the tea party. “I think it’s going to be the beginning of the downfall of the tea party politics that Americans have … rejected.”

The DNC also wants to make sure it gets credit for the $1.5 million Wasserman Schultz says the committee has given to date to its Wisconsin allies to get the recall on the ballot and support the ground game.

“As the Democratic Party, we have put all of our effort into this fight,” Wasserman Schultz said. “We have the 21 offices of Obama for America campaign fully mobilized, coordinated with the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Our volunteers, our online effort, our resources, we’re all rolling up our sleeves.”

O’Malley stressed that the DGA — which has invested $3 million — has ponied up more money than in 2010 or 2006, when Gov. Doyle faced reelection.

At the same time, the arrival of top Democrats also underscores the fact that the party’s de facto leader, President Barack Obama, hasn’t stepped foot in Wisconsin during the final stretch.

Obama was scheduled to campaign in Minneapolis on Friday, and his aides have indicated that he’ll keep his distance.

Obama led Romney in Wisconsin by eight points in the most recent Marquette University Law School poll, but other recent polls have indicated a tighter match-up.

“Clinton’s arrival is clearly meant to provide cover for President Obama’s refusal to campaign in Wisconsin, given that the president will be attending three campaign events a stone’s throw away in Minneapolis,” said Ben Sparks, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “The president has made it clear he does not wish to touch Tom Barrett or this baseless recall election with a 10-foot pole.”

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney hasn’t appeared in the Badger State lately either, although he has heralded Walker a “hero” and campaigned with him in 2010.

Walker has been stumping with big-name Republican governors for weeks. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley joined Walker in a Milwaukee suburb Friday afternoon, becoming the latest GOP superstar to stump the state with the embattled incumbent. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was here last week and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie swung through in early May.

By bringing in their own big guns — albeit at the eleventh hour — Democrats risk undercutting their attacks against Walker for saddling up with outsiders.

But at this late point, each side is willing to pull out any and all moves to motivate supporters.

“Nobody’s going to say no if Bill Clinton says he’s going to come help,” Chheda said.