MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin's largest statewide teachers union has endorsed Democrat Kathleen Falk in the possible recall election against Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

The Wisconsin Education Association Council said Wednesday it is backing Falk after going through its selection process that included interviewing a number of potential candidates.

The teachers union was at the forefront of the fight last year against Walker's proposal that took away nearly all collective bargaining rights for teachers and most other public workers.

Falk is making the restoring of bargaining rights a lynchpin of her campaign.

Also on Wednesday, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout entered the race as a Democrat. A number of other Democrats are considering running.

The state elections board is in the process of checking if there enough signatures to order a recall election.
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NEWS RELEASE- Today’s WEAC endorsement of Kathleen Falk came just hours after a report was released which detailed how union bosses at WEAC and AFSCME asked potential Democratic candidates for Governor to sign a back room pledge indicating that if elected they would veto any state budget which didn’t repeal collective bargaining.

“This endorsement reeks of a pay for play deal which was delivered in a backroom,” said Ben Sparks, Communications Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “Kathleen Falk is demonstrating that her candidacy has nothing to do with Wisconsin families, and everything to do with special interests. The sheer fact that Falk would risk public safety and funding of critical services to abide by her backroom deal shows how radical Kathleen Falk would be as Wisconsin’s Governor.

“While Falk has committed to dismantling Governor Walker’s budget-balancing reforms, she has remained silent on what her plan would be to fund the costs of local governments who have saved millions of dollars and avoided mass layoffs associated with the very reforms she wants undone,” said Sparks.