Former Wisconsin state Sen. Randy Hopper, a Republican who was defeated this past August in recall elections stemming from Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-public employee union legislation, was arrested Sunday night on a charge of drunk driving.
From the Fond du Lac Reporter
Officers were called to Highway 151 near County Trunk WH about 5:30 p.m. Sunday for a report of a black Suburban “all over the road,” according to dispatch logs.
Officers stopped the vehicle and Hopper, 45, the driver, was arrested. He was held in the Fond du Lac County Jail for 12 hours and released early today, said Sgt. Renee Schuster.
According to dispatch logs, passengers in the car included Valerie Cass, 25.
Fond du Lac Chief Deputy Mark Strand told TPM that Hopper was pulled over by police into a supermarket parking lot. He was administered a field sobriety test, but refused to take a breathalyzer test.
In addition to the backlash against Walker’s policies, Hopper simultaneously faced his own political headaches due to a messy divorce — and claims by his estranged wife that he “now lives mostly in Madison” after having an affair with a younger woman.
This controversy may very well have made the difference in Hopper’s 51%-49% defeat by Democrat Jessica King.
Notably, the younger woman in question is Republican aide Valerie Cass, who is listed in this report as the passenger in Hopper’s car.
Eric Kleefeld
Eric Kleefeld joined TPM as an intern for the final months of the 2006 midterm elections, and then kept showing up for work. His other interests include guitars, old comic books and the politics of various English-speaking countries.
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