FILE – In this Dec. 4, 2018, file photo, State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, holds a press conference in the Assembly parlor, at the Capitol in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s election defeat is clearing the way for the state’s powerful Assembly Speaker Vos to exert even more influence. Vos is already viewed as one of the most powerful Republicans in the state, as shown by his work to pass a sweeping package of bills in a lame-duck legislative session that weaken powers of the incoming Democratic governor. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File)
Steve Apps
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — His voice nearly gone following all-night negotiations, Robin Vos stood on the floor of the Wisconsin Assembly just after sunrise and calmly made the case for legislation aimed at taking power from the incoming Democratic governor.
In his typical measured tones, the Assembly speaker ridiculed Democratic opposition as hysterical overreaction and rejected portrayals of the move as a cynical power grab: “I don’t think what you believe makes you evil.”
Then, when the bell rang for the Dec. 5 vote, Vos won — as usual.
Vos, who has been speaker since 2013, is used to being at the center of Wisconsin’s biggest political battles. As Gov. Scott Walker leaves office, Vos is positioning himself to take over as the state’s most powerful Republican and is determined to protect conservative interests in the key Midwestern swing state from Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers.
It’s a natural transition for Vos, a key player in Walker’s 2011 battle against public unions and a partner during nearly a decade of Republican dominance in the state. He was the driving force behind the lame-duck legislation, requesting that bills be drafted and outlining GOP goals to reporters the day after Walker’s defeat.
Republicans love Vos for his skill at wielding a huge Assembly majority for maximum gain. Critics point to the lame-duck maneuver and others like it to deride him as “Boss Vos,” a power-hungry leader eager to grasp any advantage.
“Scott Walker is the public face of conservative power and punishing your enemies,” said Scot Ross, an activist with the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, the source of the “Boss Vos” nickname. “Robin Vos is the behind-the-scenes guy who executes that plan.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who served with Vos in the Assembly, forged a friendship over long hours of committee meetings despite their sharp ideological differences. He said he respected Vos for his ability to get things done, calling him “very smart…
