Today, Democrats in Wisconsin are submitting the petition signatures to have the SIXTH Republican state senator, Sen. Robert Cowles, put on the ballot for a recall election.

That’s six — Dan Kapanke, Randy Hopper, Luther Olsen, Sheila Harsdorf, Alberta Darling and now Robert Cowles — of the eight GOP senators eligible for recall, and it covers all of the senators who are considered most vulnerable. A net gain of only three seats is needed for the Democrats to take control of the Wisconsin Senate.

Things are heating up! If things go as planned, we expect the first recall elections to be held in early July. That gives us just over two months to stage a targeted and strategic mobilization effort and send as many of Gov. Scott Walker’s cronies in the state senate packing as we can.

Republicans have filed recall petitions against three of the 14 Democratic senators who stood in solidarity against Gov. Walker’s attacks on Wisconsin’s working families — Sens. Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch. So we have to play defense as well as offense.

People For has organized a presence for our Wisconsin members at rallies and other events across the state — including Sarah Palin’s recent speech to hers and Gov. Walker’s Tea Party supporters in Madison. We’ve been directing volunteers to help with the recall petition effort. And now, as we move into the election phase, we’re holding meetings this week to determine our advertising and communications strategy for the campaigns.

If you can, please help support our Wisconsin campaign with an urgent donation today.

Wisconsin is vitally important for the entire country because it is the front lines of a national right-wing attack not just on workers’ rights, but on the middle class as a whole.

•The petition effort to undo a similar attack on workers’ rights in Ohio is under way and we’re fighting the demonization of public employees and legislative attacks on workers in a growing number of states.

•Republicans in Washington recently voted to pull the plug on Medicare and Medicaid and remain hell bent on paying for more tax cuts for corporations and billionaires with deep cuts to vital services.

•Just this week it was reported that one of the country’s leading unions, the International Association of Fire Fighters, is so strained by fighting off anti-union attacks in the states that its PAC won’t be participating in federal elections next year — playing directly into the Right’s plan to weaken progressives by attacking any institution that offers them political support.

We need to send a message in Wisconsin and we need to do it with these recall elections. Help us let the GOP know that their attacks on the middle class come with a serious cost … and with Gov. Scott Walker eligible for recall in 2012, let him know that we’re coming for him next.

Support our campaign with a contribution now if you can.

Thank you for all your support. Keep it coming and this is a fight we’ll win!

— Ben Betz, Online Strategy Manager