If you spent 50 cents you could have read my column this morning

My Waukesha Freeman column is up at the GMToday.com, "Buddy, can you spare a candidate?"

Republicans should be concerned about the lack of bench strength in the district. In the special election for the 33rd Assembly District, Republicans had five solid candidates running. In the neighboring 98th Assembly District vacated by former Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, five more Republicans are running. Conservative activist Troy Fullerton recently joked privately that maybe one of the candidates from the 98th Assembly District should consider running in the 97th.

Perhaps the curious timing of Nischke’s announcement has discouraged candidates from stepping forward. Nomination papers have been circulating since the beginning of the month. The state party convention has already passed. The primary election may be in September (if there is one) and the general election in November, but it’s really late in the political season to decide to risk running for the state Assembly.

But more likely there’s a dearth of potential Republican candidates. After all, Nischke was expected to beat Nelson, which meant Republicans looking to attain public office had to be giving serious thought to who would replace Nischke in the Assembly. That Kramer is the only candidate declared so far is a reflection that Kramer may have been the only one planning to run had Nischke become mayor. That thought should make the Republican Party in Waukesha very nervous.