Trump Backers Face Deadline in 2nd Attempt to Oust Wisconsin Assembly Speaker

Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly Robin Vos. Courtesy of Robin Vos

Supporters of former President Donald Trump say they have gathered enough signatures to force a recall election of Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

Mr. Vos is the longest-serving speaker in state history, having held the post since 2013. Yet he has faced criticism from fellow Republicans, including President Donald Trump, over his refusal to decertify Wisconsin’s 2020 presidential election.

Mr. Vos also resisted calls to impeach Megan Wolfe, administrator of the Wisconsin Election Commission.

An earlier effort to oust Mr. Vos failed in April when the first petition fell short of the signature requirement. The deadline to submit signatures for the second recall petition is May 28.

The effort is organized by Matthew Snorek of Burlington and former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman.

Over the preceding months, the complaints against Mr. Vos have expanded beyond the 2020 election result to include allegations of corruption and improper association with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Charges, Counter-Charges

Mr. Vos, who survived a 2022 primary challenge by a Trump-endorsed candidate, has called his opponents “whack jobs” and “morons.”

“There’s a small number of people who are obsessed with the past,” Mr. Vos said in an April television interview.

“And if they don’t let it go, it could potentially cost us the presidency.”

Mr. Vos has said the original petition contained some 400 duplicate signatures, missing and misspelled information, and names of people who didn’t sign the petition—including his own name—and that the effort was bolstered by out-of-state organizers including Democrats.

Mr. Vos called the organizers “bad people who really didn’t know what they were doing. The people who circulated those sheets should be prosecuted for fraud.”

In a May 20 livestream, Mr. Gableman fired back, accusing Mr. Vos of circulating misleading information about the petition and alleging that the speaker had inappropriate ties with an organization affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Vos “has personally been paid over $35,000 by a CCP front group just for showing up and talking at some meetings,” Mr. Gableman said, later referencing the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, an arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, which, among other things, manages sister city relationships.

In October 2020, the U.S. State Department published a statement saying that the organization “has sought to directly and malignly influence state and local leaders to promote the PRC’s global agenda.”

Next Steps

The Wisconsin Election Commission will examine the petition, once submitted, to determine whether enough valid signatures have been obtained.

If a recall election were to be held, it is unclear who would be eligible to vote, because the Assembly district boundaries have changed since the last election. Mr. Vos is now a candidate in the 33rd Assembly District for the 2024 election.

The Election Commission has asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to clarify in which district a recall election should take place. The Court declined to offer guidance.

If more than two candidates run in any recall election, a primary election will be held on Aug. 6, and the recall election will be held on Sept. 3.

The primary election for the November general election is slated for Aug. 13. Mr. Vos is currently unopposed for the Republican nomination.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.