Fire fighter seeks to replace Wisconsin's Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch

Mahlon Mitchell, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Wisconsin, said Monday that he was running against Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch because he was tired of "sitting on the sidelines."

"I didn't move to the city of Madison to become a politician," he told MSNBC host Ed Schultz. "I moved here to become a fire fighter. I didn't see myself sitting here in front of you talking about possibly running for lieutenant governor of the state of Wisconsin... But to sit back on the sidelines and see what is happening and not be involved, that is not what we do as fire fighters and that's not what we do as first responders."

"We are responding to an emergency now," Mitchell added.

Republican Party of Wisconsin Communications Director Ben Sparks responded to the announcement by calling Mitchell a "hand-picked union candidate."

Private investigator Ira Robins is also running as lieutenant governor for the Democratic Party’s nomination, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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