Democrat, Republican Gang Up on Incumbent

Concordia seniors Tyler Williams and Chris Johnson gave up their roles atop student government to work crazy campaign hours, with Williams the campaign manager and Johnson in charge of Web activities. Energetic as they are, the two thought hard before yielding to a sense of novelty and possibility.

"One question we didn't have to answer was 'Do we believe in what they're doing?' " said Williams, 21. "That was an absolute 'yes.' "

Sensenbrenner, 64, has throttled all comers in the 5th District since he was first elected in 1978. A hard-nosed player on immigration issues, he is a former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a millionaire many times over. He has no problem raising money.

Sensenbrenner has not formally announced that he is running again, but "he is definitely out running," campaign manager Lori Hagerup said. The incumbent's camp has made no decision about how to deal with the Burkee-Walz strategy.

"There are so many unknowns at this point. I have no idea what will be allowable," Hagerup said. "Certainly, the authority will be the Federal Election Commission."

"It will be a real uphill battle, and I'm not saying that because Sensenbrenner is a Republican," said Gus Wirth Jr., a prominent member of the Ozaukee County GOP. "I'm saying that because he has such a good feel for what he's doing."

Sensenbrenner will undoubtedly be hard to beat, but he is also known to be prickly, something a former challenger believes the newcomers may have a chance to exploit.

"Either one of them would be a better representative in Congress than our current representative," said Bryan Kennedy, Sensenbrenner's two-time Democratic challenger, who topped out at 35 percent of the vote in 2006. "They both are approachable, likable people, and they come from normal, everyday Middle America."

Kennedy added: "I wish I'd thought of the tag-team thing. That would've been more fun. It's a good gimmick."