Wisconsin’s longtime Democratic Secretary of State Doug La Follette abruptly resigned on Friday, saying he was leaving three months into his 11th consecutive term “to focus on my personal needs” after watching the office be stripped of its power over the past 50 years.
Gov. Tony Evers appointed former Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, who ran for U.S. Senate last year but dropped out of the race ahead of the primary, to fill out the four-year term. Wisconsin’s secretary of state has not been in charge of elections since 1974 and has almost no official duties.
La Follette is a distant relative of “Fighting” Bob La Follette, a progressive Wisconsin governor and 1924 presidential candidate. A Madison high school is named after Bob La Follette and state Democrats still hold him up today as a progressive champion. Godlewski, 41, was 1-year-old when La Follette began his current consecutive run as secretary of state.
“To become just the third woman in our state’s history to hold this office is the honor of a lifetime,” Godlewski said. “I know how important this role is and my responsibilities are, and I’m looking forward to getting to work.” Doug La Follette was first elected secretary of state in 1974. After a failed try for lieutenant governor in 1978, he won the office in 1982 and has won reelection 10 times.
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