DE PERE, Wis. — Both gubernatorial candidates in Wisconsin's coming recall election dished out eggs to several attendees at a popular dairy farm breakfast Sunday morning.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) each spent ample time greeting — and serving — the thousands of Wisconsinites who turned out at the Brown County Dairy Breakfast.
The two men came within a few feet of each other at the farm outside Green Bay, but they did not interact. They were focused on the voters while making their final push in these last two days before the election Tuesday.
"We feel good," Walker told reporters, "but again, I am not rested until 8:01 p.m. on Tuesday. There is a lot at stake."
Barrett was just as hopeful — although recent polling still has Walker as the slight favorite.
"The energy we feel on the ground and the number of people we have throughout the entire state leads us to be very, very optimistic heading into Tuesday," he said.
The recall race may have a national impact — specifically on the fall presidential election, even though neither President Barack Obama nor presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney have made appearances on behalf of either candidate in Wisconsin.
"It is a surprise" Obama has not come to campaign for Barrett, Walker admitted. "I think it is interesting. Two years ago, the president came in for our opponent. He [Obama] is not here now."
But Barrett says he never asked the president to come here for him. [Former President Bill Clinton did appear with Barrett on Friday and said Obama was "glad" he was coming to Wisconsin for Barrett.]
"I obviously understand that he [Obama] is running a county and he has his own campaign. But I will say that his administration has been supportive in that his campaign apparatus has been helpful with volunteers," Barrett said, proclaiming that both he and Obama will win Wisconsin in their upcoming contests.
Walker did not directly state his belief that Romney would win here on Nov. 6 but did offer him a piece of advice.
"I think any candidate who is going to win Wisconsin is going to have to do more of that" — talk more, in other words, of how to take on powerful special interest groups and how he or she will make tough decisions for the next generation of Americans.
Both Walker and Barrett have additional stops in the Badger State later Sunday and will be working hard up until polls close Tuesday night.
