Wisconsin Lt. Gov.: We Were Recalled for Doing Our Job

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, the Republican embroiled in a high-profile June recall election, admitted in an interview that it would be difficult to raise more than her Democratic opponent.

Kleefisch and Gov. Scott Walker ran on the same ticket in 2010, but a combative collective bargaining clash led to a recall of both officials.

"See, in Wisconsin under our recall function, you don't have a reason -- you don't have to be a felon, you don't even have to have done anything wrong in political office," Kleefisch said. "Unfortunately, our opponents seek to recall the governor, myself and four of our brave senators because we did our job."

The Wisconsin state constitution allows for each public figure to be recalled individually, which means that Kleefisch has to raise her own funds to beat Democratic opponent Mahlon Mitchell to retain the lieutenant governorship.

When asked how she would win a recall against a likely well-funded opponent, Kleefisch acknowledged that it would be difficult.

"Well, that's a concern, definitely. I'll acknowledge that from the get-go; they're running, literally, a union boss against me -- the head of the firefighters union is running against me to be lieutenant governor," Kleefisch said.

Kleefisch said a Mitchell victory would undermine Walker's efforts (if retained as governor) to carry out an effective agenda for the last two years of his term.

When asked to respond to detractors who have said her policies have hurt union families, Kleefisch said public employees in Wisconsin have been the "best folks you could meet."

She said, though, that the private sector having been hit hard in the state during the economic downturn forced the government to make cuts, which Kleefisch said meant everyone had to take some responsibility in the state budget cuts.

-- Written by Joe Deaux in New York.

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