Frenzied last weekend of campaigning for Scott Walker's recall election By BRENDAN O'BRIEN Published on Monday 4 June 2012 00:00 US POLITICAL activists converged on Wisconsin this weekend to join get-out-the-vote efforts before a historic recall election tomorrow for Republican Governor Scott Walker that is seen as a test for November's presidential race. Mr Walker enraged the labour movement last year when he eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public sector unions as part of a push to limit government and slash spending in the politically divided state. President Barack Obama captured Wisconsin by 14 percentage points in the 2008 election. But two years later, Republicans in the state roared back to elect Mr Walker and take over the state legislature. Mitt Romney, who has clinched the Republican presidential nomination, has called Mr Walker a "hero." Mr Obama has supported the Democratic challenger, Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett. All over the Midwestern state - known for its dairy farms, factories and the revered Green Bay Packers NFL football team - political professionals and volunteers fanned out to ensure their supporters made it to the polls. "It's really about the future of this state," said Bob Peterson, president of the Milwaukee Teachers" Education Association. Civil rights activists Reverend Jesse Jackson from Chicago and Al Sharpton from New York, both aligned with the Democratic Party, will be in Milwaukee, the state's largest city, to push for a strong turnout by black voters. If he is defeated, Mr Walker would become only the third state governor recalled from office during his term, after North Dakota's Lynn Frazier in 1921 and Gray Davis of California in 2003. Polls show a close race, although Mr Walker has held a single-digit lead since the recall date was formally set, and there are almost no undecided voters. The focus is on voter turnout. Speaking yesterday on CNN's State of the Union TV show, Mr Barrett said a tracking poll he'd seen two nights ago showed him just "one vote behind [Walker]. Not one percentage point behind, but one vote behind. Most members of state and local government unions, who effectively took a pay cut when Mr Walker's law forced them to pay more for their health insurance and pensions, believe he balanced the budget on their backs. The law also made paying union dues voluntary and forced unions to register annually. Thousands of people protested against the measures last year, which Mr Walker said were needed because of a tough economic environment. Kelly Heigl, a school teacher, said on Saturday that she feared public education would be crippled in Wisconsin if Mr Walker remained in office. She said: "I am so, so excited because we are so close and I feel a big victory coming on." A year ago it looked like Mr Walker would be ousted in the recall because of the protests and the unions" reputation for being able to galvanise pro-labour voters. Nearly a million people signed petitions calling for the governor to go. But conservatives and Republicans around the country have rallied to Mr Walker's side. A parade of party luminaries have appeared with him in Wisconsin, including three state governors. Mr Walker has raised about $30 million - more than half from out-of-state sources such as the conservative Koch brothers of Koch Industries, a multinational conglomerate. In contrast, Mr Barrett has raised about $4m.