A week after the vandalism of the Door County Republican chapter campaign headquarters, a suspect has been cited, but potential consequences remain. Volunteers were out early last Sunday, washing away the graffiti and helping to paint over it in other spots. In this particular case, overall damage seems minimal, but the prevention of a future incident is already hitting the GOP pocketbook. Chair Stephanie Soucek has installed surveillance cameras on the property, which is temporarily leased to the Door County Republicans for the election season. Soucek says that given the county's vast geographic footprint and its split political loyalties, a vigorous campaign is needed on both sides. A physical location to help organize volunteers and "get out the vote" efforts helps immensely. Soucek says the worry for her is what happens if vandalism becomes more than a rare, one-off occurrence. There may come a point where landlords shy away from having political organizations as tenants. Another possibility is that insurance could rise until it stops making financial sense to have a campaign headquarters.
Soucek and her Democratic counterpart, David Hayes, have met in the past week to help craft a united statement urging respect for the political beliefs of everyone. Both parties' local chapters operate out of locations on Egg Harbor Road and Jefferson Street in Sturgeon Bay, separated by less than a mile. The Republican Party of Kewaunee County has echoed those sentiments in recent days.