Scandal in Fondy from Family Values Man
Update: As of 6:00 A.M., March 15, Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) still lists W5192 Rienzi Road as his voting
address in his official State Senate webpage. It's apparent Hopper has not lived there for at least several months, raising the question from which residence did Hopper cast his vote in November 2010? His apartment? The Rienzi Road home? Where did he live and for how long on election day. More to come.
For someone who just helped to eviscerate the livelihood of 10,000s of Wisconsin families, State Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) is very touchy about the topic of his own family, or at least he seems that way through his flacks.
It was first reported
here on March 11 that protesters outside the recall target's, Hopper's, house last week in Fond du Lac were met by his wife who reportedly came out and told them: Hopper no longer lives there but with his 25-year-old mistress in Madison.
Two sources in Fond du Lac close to the recall effort say the Hopper maid has signed the legal-sized recall sheet. The maid reportedly said it's likely Hopper's soon-to-be-ex wife will also sign the recall petition.
Blogging Blue reported March 11 the woman in question is a former state Senate committee staffer and now-ex-GOP-connected lobbyist. [Blogging Blue has an independent server and has received so much traffic that the server crashed, but the server should be up soon.]
Attempts to reach Sen. Hopper through his phone book-listed telephone number in Fond du Lac last week and this week were unsuccessful; as were calls made to his Madison legislative office and a Fond du Lac business office.
Other media outlets report a non-denial from Hopper's office on the Madison girlfriend issue but a
flat denial on the Fond du Lac residency issue raised elsewhere as Hopper continues to hide from his constituents and the media, citing security concerns and death threats.
WTMJ (Milwaukee) reports:
TODAY'S TMJ4 received a letter from a woman claiming to be Randy Hopper's wife, Alysia Hopper. The letter arrived in a letterhead envelope from Alysia Hopper's business. The letter claims Randy Hopper, "started an affair in January 2010 with a then 25 year old Republican aide." It claims "Randy moved out" and "now lives mostly in Madison."
According to Hopper's spokesman, the State Senator rents an apartment in Fond du Lac where Hopper also owns several radio stations. However, TODAY'S TMJ4 was told Hopper was unavailable after making repeated interview requests.
In a written statement, Hopper campaign spokesman Jeff Harvey indicated, "Senator Hopper maintains an apartment in the district where he lives and works. He and his wife separated roughly a year ago and are divorcing, which is a private family matter."
Dan
Bice of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports: "Hopper's chief of staff, Rebecca Hogan," said "Senator Hopper lives and works in the district. He and his wife separated roughly a year ago and are divorcing, which is a personal matter. Senator Hopper and his family have received multiple death threats. These new attempts to personally smear him are shameful and disgusting."
Non-denials that Hopper left his wife for a much younger woman while hypocritically preaching the GOP mantra of families and values. This speaks loudly of Mr. Hopper's values, as does his alliance with a vicious GOP attack on Wisconsin families.
Even if Hopper is not speaking, his non-denial from his undisclosed location reveal a man afraid to face the public he was sent to Madison to represent.
As Hopper's story has hit national journals including the
Atlanta Journal Constitution,
New York Magazine, and the
New Republic, Hopper's public posture is: Unavailable.
