Bice: Fourth time the charm? Mayor Tom Barrett weighs another bid for governor

He has more than $600,000 in his campaign account. The competition is weak and frayed. And the job is one he has long coveted.

Yep, Mayor Tom Barrett is thinking about running for governor.

For a fourth time.

Sources confirmed this week that the fourth-term mayor has been sounding out his team of advisers about entering the Democratic primary for governor later this year. If he runs, he would need to submit his nomination papers by June 1.

"It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Tom's thinking about it," said one longtime Barrett confidant. "And people are talking to Tom."

But not everyone on the left is thrilled with the possibility of another matchup between Barrett and Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Walker beat the Milwaukee Democrat in 2010 and 2012. Barrett also lost in the Democratic primary in 2002 to then-Attorney General Jim Doyle.

"His time and chance have come and gone," said a Democratic strategist. "Let me correct myself: His time and chances have come and gone."

Republican Party officials were thrilled to hear talk of another Barrett bid and the prospect of yet another primary candidate.

"The fact that 'Try It Again' Tom Barrett is preparing a fourth run for governor is proof positive that the Democrat establishment is struggling to salvage this race from a wide-open field of candidates with no plan aside from attacking the Wisconsin comeback led by Scott Walker," said state GOP spokesman Alec Zimmerman.

Barrett's staff did not respond to requests for an interview with Barrett.

According to several people, all of whom spoke on background about the private conversations, Barrett has expressed concerns about the quality of Democratic candidates.

In the most recent Marquette University Law School Poll, state School Superintendent Tony Evers led the pack of Democratic contenders with 18% of the vote. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin was at 9%. Forty-four percent of those polled said they don't know who they'll vote for.

On top of that, none of the nine notable Democratic gubernatorial candidates is raising big bucks.

Barrett, by contrast, is sitting on at least $622,000 in his campaign fund and has shown an ability to raise money quickly in the past. And this could very well be a good year for Democrats.

Former Democratic Party Chairman Matt Flynn, one of the Democrats hoping to challenge Walker, said he would welcome Barrett to join the fray.

But Flynn said he has had no problem raising campaign cash. He had more than $300,000 in his account in January.

"Tom's obviously formidable, and if he'd gotten into the race a year ago, people would take that into account," said Flynn, who has himself lost four election bids. "But people are pretty well coalescing around different candidates."

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Flynn added that this late interest in the race by Barrett is like "the old fire horse (that) smells the smoke and wants to break out of the barn."

A Republican strategist close to the second-term governor put the question succinctly.

"Why would he do it now?" asked the GOP strategist. "Too late to push people out of the race, plenty of people in the field who don't care and won't want a retread."

The Barrett insiders said he is also concerned about how poorly Madison has treated Milwaukee under Walker's leadership, pointing to a host of issues including residency for city workers, efforts to limit the streetcar and cuts in state aid. The mayor has told his advisers he might be able to do more for Wisconsin's largest city by moving up to the governor's mansion.

Many also believe Barrett would like one last shot at his political nemesis.

"Tom hates Walker," said one top Wisconsin Democrat. "And Tom doesn't hate anyone."

But one of Barrett's key advisers said Democrats shouldn't get ahead of themselves just because of the recent Supreme Court race, won by a left-leading judge, and two special elections won by Democrats.

Last month, the Marquette poll found 47% of registered voters approved of Walker's job performance, just as they did in March 2014. And about two-thirds of the undecided voters have broken his way in his statewide runs.

The Barrett adviser said the mayor would also have to assemble a campaign team, many of whose past members have moved on, and then prepare for the onslaught of negative ads based on years of opposition research.

Beyond that, the mayor turns 65 this year. If he were elected governor, he could be looking at being in office as he is pushing 70. If he loses, it would be very hard for him to run for another term as Milwaukee mayor.

"He's up for the job," the Barrett adviser said. "But I'd be shocked if he does it."

Contact Daniel Bice at (414) 224-2135 or dbice@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanielBice or on Facebook at fb.me/daniel.bice.