When it comes to running fake Democratic candidates in this summer's recall contests, top state Republicans have one thought:

The more, the merrier.

Sources tell No Quarter that state Republican Party officials are aiming to line up spoiler Democrats - loyal Republicans who run as Democrats with no intention of winning - in all six recall elections for incumbent Republican senators.

The idea is that the sham candidates would force a Democratic primary and thereby push back the general election by a month. That would give the GOP senators, who are tied up in Madison on the proposed budget bill, more time to campaign in their districts before voters head to the polls.

"We should have protest candidates in most and perhaps all of the races," said a Republican source familiar with the operation. "We're not hiding this from anybody."

Except, apparently, the Republican senators who are supposed to benefit from the deal.

Earlier this week, the Journal Sentinelreported that state Republicans had lined up protest candidates who would run as Democrats in the recall elections for Republican Sens. Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac and Luther Olsen of Ripon. La Crosse County Republicans were also caught on tape recently talking about recruiting just such a candidate to help Sen. Dan Kapanke.

Like Hopper and Kapanke, Olsen said Monday that he had no clue this was going on. If there is a primary, it would bump the general election from its tentatively scheduled date of July 12.

"I don't know what to think of it," said the veteran lawmaker. "I was hoping for a July 12 (general) election so the whole summer isn't shot."

By running these fake Democrats, Republicans would force the Democratic challengers to spend money on a primary that could have been used in the general election. Plus, the spoiler candidates could launch negative attacks on the Democrats while the Republican incumbents remain above the fray.

As expected, Democrats decried what they called "Nixonian tactics."

"Now they're resorting to dirty tricks - like running Republicans as Democrats in Democratic primaries - to deny democracy," said Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller of Monona.

The state's top Republican staffer didn't hesitate in defending the practice.

"These Republican senators are again busy doing their jobs crafting a fiscally responsible state budget that promotes economic growth, which puts them at a distinct disadvantage with many of their challengers who have had sufficient time to campaign," said Stephan Thompson, executive director of the state GOP, in a statement. "The Republican Party of Wisconsin has advocated that protest candidates run in Democratic primaries to ensure that Republican legislators have ample time to communicate with voters throughout their districts after the state budget is approved."

The letters from local Republican officials encourage conservatives in Hopper's district to collect enough signatures to get John Buckstaff on the ballot as a Democrat.

Buckstaff, a retired businessman, has given to a number of Republicans, including Hopper, who has received more than $1,000 in campaign cash from Buckstaff. The most recent donation, which was for $500, came on March 10 - a week after the Hopper recall committee began collecting signatures.

Hopper is also one of Buckstaff's 16 Facebook friends.

The fake Democrat in Olsen's district isRol Church, another retiree who has given exclusively to Republican candidates for state office.

Republicans confirmed that Isaac Weix is their stealth candidate in the recall election for Sen. Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls. Weix finished third out of three Republican candidates in an Assembly contest in 2006 and last year. He has also lost a bid for the Menomonie City Council in April.

A total of nine senators - six Republicans and three Democrats - could face recall elections for their actions on Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair measure, which is now tied up in court.

According to the Republican source familiar with the protest candidate effort, the state GOP had been expecting the Democrats to field fake candidates in the recall contests against Democrats.

But that doesn't seem to be happening.

The source accused the state Democrats of first running a sham Republican in last year's re-election contest for Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer, an Independent from Manitowoc. Last July, Mark Jefferson, then the head of the state Republican Party, called the tactic a "nasty, cynical ploy" to try to rig an election.

Now Republicans have adopted the strategy as their own.

"The idea is delay, delay, delay," the GOP source said.

Mike Tate, head of the state Democrats, disputed the suggestion that his party put up a spoiler Republican in the Ziegelbauer race last year. He said the Dems recruited no candidates for that contest.

The Republicans, he said, are grasping at straws, both with this allegation and in their attempt to field fake Democrats.

"This is sixth-grade, student council stuff," Tate said.

It's also now the world of recall politics.

Daniel Bice can be contacted by phone at (414) 224-2135 or by email at dbice@journalsentinel.com.