Doug LaFollette

Douglas LaFollette (born June 6, 1940) is a United States academic, environmental activist, and politician in the state of Wisconsin. He is the current Secretary of State of Wisconsin.

Early life and career

LaFollette was born in Des Moines, Iowa and obtained degrees from Marietta College (B.A.), Stanford University (M.S. Chemistry), and Columbia University (Ph.D. Organic Chemistry). He began a teaching career as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha. Known as an environmental activist before running for public office, in 1970 he was a Wisconsin organizer of the first Earth Day for Gaylord Nelson, and co-founded Wisconsin's Environmental Decade (now known as Clean Wisconsin) with Peter Anderson.

Political career

He first ran for office in 1970, losing the Democratic primary election for the 1st Congressional District to Les Aspin. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate for Kenosha for one term. LaFollette currently serves as the Wisconsin Secretary of State, a post to which he was first elected in 1974. He ran for Lieutenant Governor in 1978, losing while on a ticket with Governor Martin Schreiber. He was elected to the office again in 1982, defeating the incumbent Vel Phillips and has been the incumbent Secretary of State since that time. He has often run unopposed, and shuns fundraising in the style of former Wisconsin Sen. William Proxmire. In 1990, his opponent -- Madison attorney and radio personality Stuart Levitan -- campaigned on a promise to eliminate the Secretary of State's office, whose duties have been reduced and transferred to other agencies including the State Board of Elections under LaFollette's tenure.

Since being elected Secretary of State, LaFollette has run twice run for federal office. In 1988, he ran for the United States Senate, losing the primary to Herb Kohl. In 1996, he lost another 1st District primary to Lydia Spottswood, who then lost the general election to Mark Neumann.

Other roles

* LaFollette is the author of the 1991 book "The Survival Handbook: A Strategy for Saving Planet Earth".
* He has also served on the board of directors of Friends of the Earth and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
* In 2003 he ran for, and was elected to, the board of directors of the Sierra Club for a three-year term. He did not seek reelection in 2006.
* He was a Fulbright Distinguished American Scholar in 2003.
* LaFollette was formerly on the advisory board of Carrying Capacity Network and is currently an adviser to NumbersUSA. [http://www.numbersusa.com/about/advisors2.html]

2006 election

On September 12 2006, LaFollette easily won re-nomination as the Democratic candidate for Secretary of State over primary challenger Scot Ross. [http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=64241]

His general election opponent, Republican Sandy Sullivan, drew attention for her self-published 'tell-all' book in which she claims she had affairs with several ex-Green Bay Packers. [http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/10/10/packer.election.ap/index.html]

Electoral history

*2006 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary
**Doug LaFollette (D), 72%
**Scot Ross (D), 28%

*2006 Race for Secretary of State - General Election [http://www.jsonline.com/content/election/11.7.2006/electiondetail.htm#secofstate]
**Doug LaFollette (D), 57%
**Sandy Sullivan (R), 38%
**Michael LaForest (Green), 4.5%

External links

* [http://www.douglafollette.com/ Doug LaFollette official re-election campaign site]
* [http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=64241 Wispolitics article on the convention straw poll.]
* [http://www.cleanwisconsin.org/ Clean Wisconsin]
* [http://www.sos.state.wi.us/ Office of the Wisconsin Secretary of State]
* [http://www.mthealthyclimate.com/?p=50 An article by Doug LaFollette on Earth Day and the legacy of Sen. Gaylord Nelson]