BELOIT, Wis. — Though it is not high-profile, the office of Secretary of state could play a key role in overseeing state elections in the future depending on who wins this November.
“I think the opportunity to again resurrect an office that is important in other states and really isn’t here and add value to the office, that’s the message that we’re taking forward,” Republican candidate Amy Loudenbeck said during a campaign event in Beloit Wednesday.
She is running against incumbent Democrat Doug La Follette, who has served in the office since 1983. La Follette has spanned both Democrats and Republican administrations in the governor’s mansion, and could possibly pose a formidable opponent for Loudenbeck this fall.
Loudenbeck said she remains undeterred, however.
“We have a really strong candidate [in me], which is I think what’s going to be the difference between this cycle and previous contests,” she said.
Republicans broadly want to see the office reimagined to include more responsibility over elections. Loudenbeck has said she would like to look at “a wide range of policy options,” and many that have been floated include having the secretary of state break ties on the bipartisan state elections commission, or having the office oversee elections wholesale.
La Follette said those possible changes were a significant motivating factor for him to run.
“Two years ago I might’ve made a different decision,” La Follette said during a news conference in March announcing his reelection bid, “But now with the integrity of this office at risk, many people have urged me to consider running for reelection.”
Loudenbeck said her campaign is part of a Republican push to win statewide.
“We are going to continue to [engage with voters] and take advantage of the network that we have built statewide with not just my colleagues from other parts of the state, but people who are really invested in this campaign,” she said.
Photojournalist James Rader contributed to this report from Beloit.
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