WISCONSIN'S RECALL: Who do we elect after Walker and Kleefisch are gone?

Movement toward recalling Governor Scott Walker and Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch are in full swing, with 300,000 of the 540,208 signatures collected in just 12 days to initiate their recall. With 50 days left and the momentum of this event not slowing, it appears that a recall is imminent. With that said, who are the candidates that will run against them?

Apparently, the Democratic Party is considering this very question as well. Right now, no candidate names have been set in stone as political contenders, but plenty of candidates are being bantered about in consideration. Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, the strongest contender, U.S. Senator Russ Fiengold, has declined to enter the race. This is a definite blow to Wisconsin's recall efforts since it is name recognition, popularity, and a reputable track record that Wisconsin constituents are looking for in a replacement candidate, and former Senator Russ Fiengold possesses all of these qualities. So it is to other candidates that we must look to as alternatives to Walker and Kleefisch.

Well then, who are the other candidates that are being bantered about? The potential contenders are:

• Kathleen Falk, 60, a former Dane County executive and longtime Democrat who ran for governor once before.
• Mahlon Mitchell, 34, a 14-year veteran of the Madison Fire Department and president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin. He came to the public's attention earlier this year during the protests against governor Walker when he moved crowds with his charismatic speeches as a union official. He doesn't have any real political experience though.
• U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, 76.
• U.S. Representative Dave Obey of Wausau, 73.
• U.S. Representative Ron Kind of La Crosse, 48.
• State Senator Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton; 50, left Wisconsin with the other senators to stall Walker's collective bargaining bill.
• Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha; 56, stayed in Wisconsin to argue against Walker's collective bargaining bill. 
• Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, 57, ran against Governor Walker in 2010. 
• State Senator Jim Holperin, D-Conover, 60. 
• State Senator Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, 67.

It is not known if any of these candidates will run against Walker and Kleefisch, but it would be a good idea to get familiarized with their backgrounds, in case they do. At present, the Democratic Party is focused on collecting recall petition signatures rather than giving Walker a candidate to target, and use as an excuse to redirect the attention away from his policies. As the recall draws to a close, it should become clearer who the front-runner will be.