Vinehout commits to governor race; Mitchell gets endorsement

Wisconsin Democratic candidate for governor Mahlon Mitchell scored a major union endorsement Thursday, while another closed the door on the possibility she might quit the race to seek another state Senate term.

Mitchell, the head of the state firefighters union, won the backing of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, which represents public- and private-sector workers in more than 1,000 local unions statewide. It’s the latest in a series of union endorsements won by Mitchell, who has also benefited from large donations from unions representing firefighters, operating engineers and others.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, of Alma, filed paperwork Wednesday — two days before the deadline — declaring she would not seek re-election to the Senate for a fourth term.

Vinehout’s lag in submitting the paperwork had fueled questions about whether she might drop out of the crowded governor’s race. She did that in 2014 after injuries sustained in a car accident forced her to cut short a run for governor.

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