Cowles foe brings his message to Shawano

By Tim Ryan
tryan@shawanoleader.com

Rich Langan, the Democratic challenger seeking to unseat state Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) in a recall election, visited Shawano during a tour of the district Thursday.

But the former Brown County supervisor and 32-year police veteran got a sometimes chilly reception as he visited with patrons at several Main Street businesses. While there were some supporters, and some apparently undecided, a number of people declined to talk with him and some of those who did expressed their support for Cowles.

“These people have their opinions and they are strong Cowles supporters and that’s wonderful. That’s democracy,” Langan said. “However, we have 26,000 very upset people that signed a petition against Rob Cowles. He has turned his back and stopped listening to the working class of northeastern Wisconsin and people feel that and they see it. I think we have a good chance of beating Rob Cowles.”

Cowles has held the District 2 seat for 25 years and is seen by many as one of the safest Republican senators targeted for recall.

Even so, Langan said he felt compelled to challenge Cowles and the Republican agenda being pushed by Gov. Scott Walker.

“I’ve been a police officer all my life. I’ve protected people’s rights, their safety and their health,” Langan said. “I really think in my heart that our governor is trampling our rights and there’s an outright assault against our children, our seniors and our public sector workers.”

Langan, of Ashwaubenon, said the Democrats need to take back the Senate and slow Walker down.

“We should be bolstering public education,” Langan said.

Langan also said the state shouldn’t be cutting money to NWTC because it provides the necessary training for jobs.

“If we cut that funding, we won’t have the welders, we won’t have the electricians, we won’t have the technicians. We won’t have the jobs that we need,” he said.

Langan also criticized Walker for killing high-speed rail and the jobs that project could have created.

Langan said he also wants to improve access to health care.

“Our seniors are getting a raw deal,” he said. “We’re taking a billion dollars out of BadgerCare and SeniorCare. We’re going to send our seniors right back to Medicare Part D. They like their SeniorCare here. I want to protect that.”

The recall election has not been scheduled but is expected to be held July 12. The Government Accountability Board is still verifying recall petition signatures.