GOP bill would supersede judge’s order that Gov. Scott Walker schedule special elections

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker might be able to ignore a judge’s order and stall special elections for the Legislature, under a bill GOP leaders hope to rush through the statehouse.

But the bill’s passage isn’t secure in the state Senate, where at least two GOP senators are voicing concerns publicly and at least one more has shared them privately with fellow Republicans.

Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) said his constituents think special elections should be held for two legislative seats that have sat open since December. One of the two vacant seats is an Assembly district that lies within Olsen’s Senate seat.

“Let’s just say I’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails from my constituents,” Olsen said.

GOP leaders are racing to hold a hearing Wednesday on the bill and a Senate floor vote on April 4 after a Dane County judge found Walker must call the elections by this Thursday. The legislation says it would overrule any election order from either Walker or a court.

So are these the reasonable, not radical conservatives I keep getting told about?