Politics & Government

Ira Robins Will Challenge Rebecca Kleefisch for Lt. Governor

The private investigator who gained fame for his work on the Lawrencia Bembenek case has thrown his hat in the ring for the state's second-in-command.

Should the recall effort against Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch succeed, Ira Robins, a 70-year-old private investigator from Milwaukee, told the Associated Press he will run as a Democrat against her.

Robins gained notariety when he was an investigator on behalf Lawrencia Bembenek, a former waitress accused of murdering her husband's ex-wife Christine Schultz in Milwaukee in the 1980s.Β  He stated he would not accept campaign donations; instead, he plans to finance his entire race out of his own pocket, relying on social media and word of mouth to get his story out.

Bembenek's story garnered widespread media attention when she escaped from prison in 1990, inspiring the book "Run Bambi Run."

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Among some of the goals stated on Robins' website were a requirement of "elected officials...to sign a pledge stating they will not participate in any matter involving any person or entity that has contributed anything of value, in any way, to benefit that official."Β 

The state elections board is still determining whether enough valid signatures have been submitted to trigger recalls for Kleefisch, Governor Scott Walker and four other state senators.

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