James Edward (Jim) Doyle (born November 23, 1945) is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He took office in January 2003 as the 44th Governor of Wisconsin. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45% to 41%, a plurality reduced by the relative success of a third party candidate, Ed Thompson, the Libertarian candidate and former Governor Tommy Thompson's younger brother. Although in 2002 Democrats increased their number of governorships, Doyle was the only one of them to unseat a sitting Governor.
Personal background
James Doyle was born in Washington, D.C.[1], the son of Ruth Bachhuber and James E. Doyle Sr. who were founding members of the modern Democratic Party in Wisconsin.citation needed James E. Doyle Sr. ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1954 and was appointed as a federal judge in 1965. Ruth Bachhuber Doyle was the first woman from Dane County to be elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1948.
Doyle attended Stanford University for three years, then returned home to Madison to finish his senior year at University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating from college and inspired by John F. Kennedy's call to public service, Doyle worked as a teacher in Tunisia as part of the Peace Corps from 1967 to 1969.
In 1972, Doyle earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Harvard University. He then moved to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Chinle, Arizona, where he worked as an attorney in a federal legal services office.
Doyle is married to Jessica Laird Doyle, niece of former Congressman Melvin R. Laird, and great-granddaughter of William D. Connor, who was Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1907–1909. They have two adopted sons, Gus and Gabe.
Attorney General
In 1975, Doyle returned to Madison and served three terms as Dane County District Attorney, from 1977 to 1982. After leaving that office, he spent eight years in private practice.
Doyle was elected Wisconsin Attorney General in 1990, and reelected in 1994 and 1998. Between 1997–1998, he served as the president of the National Association of Attorneys General. During his twelve years as Attorney General, Doyle was considered tough on crime, but not unsympathetic to its causes. He also gained recognition as a result of several successful lawsuits against tobacco companies in the state.
Campaign for Governor
The 2002 Election
After Tommy Thompson resigned as Wisconsin Governor to become Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2001, Lieutenant Governor Scott McCallum became Governor, serving out the remaining two years of Thompson's term.
Governor McCallum inherited a state with a $3.2 billion budget deficit. In 2003, McCallum signed a budget-repair bill that traded most of a long-term return from the state’s $1.6 billion tobacco settlement for a one-time lump sum that fixed the deficit for a year but didn’t provide the necessary long-term solutions. He then spent all of the money in an attempt to balance the budget in under one year.
While McCallum didn't cause the state's deficit, he was accused of not creating long-term solutions for the state and poor decision making.citation needed Doyle, taking advantage of the situation, brought the issue to the surface in his 2002 campaign, accusing him of fiscal mismanagement.citation needed
The 2002 governor's race is considered by some to have been the most negative campaign in the state's history, with frequent mudslinging from both candidates and independent groups.citation needed In response, Libertarian Ed Thompson (brother of Tommy), publicly critical of the negative campaigning of both major party candidates, who became a more viable option for some voters, garnered 10% of the vote.
On election day, Doyle defeated McCallum by over four percent, becoming the first Democratic governor in the state since Anthony Earl was defeated in 1986. Doyle was sworn in on January 6, 2003 in Madison.
The 2006 Election
-
Doyle defeated Republican Congressman Mark Green in 2006. Doyle topped Green 53% to 45% in a year in which no incumbent Democratic governor, senator, or congressman lost their reelection bid.
During the campaign, Doyle was dogged by charges that Georgia Thompson, a state employee, had steered a contract to a firm politically connected with his campaign. Thompson was convicted in late 2006, but released on April 4, 2007 by an appellate court, who called the U.S. Attorney's case "beyond thin".citation needed Doyle indicated she could have her old job back. The case's political implications have been taken up by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.
Governor
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle onboard a UH-60 Blackhawk viewing 2008 flood damage.
As governor, Doyle came into office with a $3.2 billion deficit. Wisconsin ended the year 2006 with a deficit of $2.15 billion. Proposals for new programs have been constrained by continued budget cutting and his decision to honor a campaign pledge to not raise taxes. Facing political pressure[2], he signed a property tax freeze that has resulted in an anticipated decrease in average statewide property taxes in 2006.[3] His stated priorities are; investing in public schools (including the University of Wisconsin system), lowering property taxes, regional economic development, transportation reform and funding of stem cell research.
In February 2007, Doyle proposed taxing oil companies more than $270 million over the next two years to help pay for the state's transportation needs. [1]
Doyle raised about $500,000 in the first half of 2007 leading political analysts to think he may be financially ready to run again should he decide to try to become the state's second third-term Democratic governor.citation needed In a speech to the state Democratic Party convention on July 6, 2007, Doyle promised to improve health care, job training and education in Wisconsin then added: "And at the end of these four years of working together, who knows, maybe we'll need four more." [4]. Doyle is now under ethics investigation for using State of Wisconsin staff to write his speech for the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver.citation needed
Electoral history
Sources
- Laird, Helen L., 'A Mind of Her Own Helen Connor Laird and Her Family 1888-1982' The University of Wisconsin Press, 2006.
References
External links
|
