By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Republican leader of the state Senate says he expects recall elections to proceed against three of his colleagues, despite challenges they have made to thousands of signatures on petitions seeking their ouster from office.

Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Friday he is hopeful, though, that his election can be blocked through the challenges he made to the Government Accountability Board on Thursday.

Fitzgerald was the only one of the four who clearly challenged more than enough signatures to void an election.

But whether to reject the signatures is up to the GAB. Its deadline for deciding is March 19.

The other senators are Pam Galloway of Wausau, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls and Van Wanggaard of Racine.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- All four Republican state senators targeted for recall have filed challenges to signatures collection on petitions.

It is now up to the Government Accountability Board to determine how many of the signatures should be counted and how many should be invalidated. The board's deadline for reaching its decision is March 19.

The four targeted senators are Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau, Pam Galloway of Wausau, Terry Moulton of Chippewa Falls and Van Wanggaard of Racine.

Fitzgerald said in a release he was alleging that more than 4,300 signatures were invalid. That is more than enough to stop any election.

It wasn't immediately known how many signatures each of the other three challenged.

Republicans hold a 17-16 majority in the Senate.