Ziegelbauer Goes Independent

This is no surprise. 

State Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer of Manitowoc quit the Democratic Party on Monday and said he would run for re-election as an independent.

Ziegelbauer, who also serves as Manitowoc County executive, said he felt he had been consistent in his positions since he was elected to the Assembly in 1992, but that the Democratic Party had changed in that time.

“I did not follow them as they became more enthusiastic about big government and big tax increases and farther away from pro-life issues,” he said.

Ziegelbauer has long frustrated Democrats by voting with Republicans against tax increases and for legislation championed by anti-abortion groups. In a statement, he said he was leaving because “the party machinery has made it clear that they want another ‘yes man,’ someone who will blindly go along with every tax increase or expansion of their power without the backbone to stand up for the people.”

His departure comes as Democrats are trying to cling to the majority in the Legislature. Without Ziegelbauer, they hold 51 seats, just one more than needed to control the 99-member Assembly.