To Oriannah Paul and many on the right , embattled Wisconsin Gov . Scott Walker is a hero who stood on principles and took the state out of the red and created a surplus . To Lane Hall and many on the left , Walker is a man who should be removed from office for stripping collective bargaining rights and cutting education funding . In March 2011 , after weeks of bitter dispute highlighted by demonstrations inside the state Capitol , Walker and GOP allies in the Wisconsin State Legislature pushed through a bill to limit raises for public employees , except police and firefighters , to the rate of inflation . They also moved to bar unions from deducting dues from workers ' paychecks . Meet Scott Walker : From the archives , watch Gov . Walker in 2011 make his case : `` we do n't have any more money . ' The past 16 months have been a nonstop slugfest , pitting neighbor against neighbor , and in some cases splitting families in half ideologically . 'Where 's the civility ? ' Paul , a tea party follower and founder of the Sheboygan Liberty Coalition , glows when she talks about Scott Walker . People know she 's a fan when she drives by in her pickup truck with its magnetic `` Scott Walker is my hero '' bumper stickers . But when she talks about the nastiness of the race , fear transforms her expression . `` I 've never seen anything like this in my life , '' Paul says of the negativity . `` Where 's the civility ? Why ca n't we be amicable ? '' Paul says her car -- plastered with her Walker bumper stickers -- has been keyed , and she 's even been hit in the head with a sign , all because of the recall race . Does Obama 's absence portend outcome of Wisconsin recall vote ? `` It 's unfortunate that there has to be so much division , '' she says . A dog groomer as of a few years ago , Paul has only just recently gotten involved in politics . It started with a general dislike of President Barack Obama , and it 's coming to a head with this one race , a race she believes will carry over into the general election . She 's organizing rallies and taking part in various door-knocking and phone bank efforts . `` We are facing one of the most critical elections in the history of this country . What happens here will determine what happens across the country . '' Tim Phillips is president of Americans for Prosperity , a conservative advocacy group built around many of the same principles as the tea party . They 've pumped more than $ 10 million into Wisconsin touting Walker 's policies . Phillips agrees there are larger implications at stake . `` It 's big for the people of Wisconsin and their economic future , but I think it 's even bigger nationally as well . I think every governor , every state legislator around the country is looking at Wisconsin , and they 're going , OK , if I got the courage to stand up and do what I think is right to get my state moving again ... will someone have my back ? And hopefully the answer is going to be , you bet . '' Americans for Prosperity launched its final effort in this campaign , a bus tour titled `` A Better Wisconsin , '' on Wednesday . Paul was present at the Sheboygan stop . The tour wraps up with a large rally hosted by the Racine chapter of the tea party and will not only include the AFP bus but the Tea Party Express bus as well . TPE launched a bus tour Saturday that wraps up on election day . Democrats may not be planning any bus tours , but they did plan several rallies over the weekend . They 've also been campaigning for Barrett in some rather unconventional ways . 'This is a story ... about Wisconsin ' Lane Hall is a 56-year-old English professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee . Per Walker 's legislation -- known as simply Act 10 -- Hall 's benefits were cut by 8 % . And while 8 % may not sound as bad as others in the state have seen , Hall says the benefits package at UW-Milwaukee used to be the selling point at the school . `` It is seriously difficult now to both retain and attract quality people , '' Hall said . `` We are no longer competitive . '' Democratic group makes $ 100k Wisconsin push in final days . Hall has never described himself as a political activist but , on this issue , he said to himself he `` ca n't sit this one out . '' He wanted to come up with a way to make eye-catching campaign signs for the after-dark hours . He and his wife built their very first sign out of battery-powered LED lights and it said simply , `` Recall Walker . '' The signs have only gotten more elaborate , and the Overpass Light Brigade , as they 're known because they display their signs on bridges after dark , has grown into a routine party . Hall said they 'll sometimes have as many as 60 people at their `` bridge parties '' on pedestrian overpasses . `` We started to realize that the power of it is really in the community of volunteers . '' State Democratic Party spokesman Graeme Zielinski said those on the left are banking on that same community to show up to vote on Tuesday . Some public polls have given a slight single-digit edge to Walker , but Zielinski says the Democratic base is far from giving up hope . In fact , he says , internal numbers show it 's dead even . `` We 're too close , '' Zielinski said . `` You 're not going to fight for something for 16 months and then give up in the last couple of days . '' Team Walker has seen a whole host of rock star Republicans in recent weeks -- Govs . Chris Christie , Nikki Haley , Bobby Jindal -- while Team Barrett only just Friday got some star power of its own in former President Bill Clinton . Zielinski said none of that will matter . `` We love our national friends , we think they 're great , but this is a a story right now about Wisconsin . '' Regardless of who wins on Tuesday , both sides say they hope the vitriol subsides after election day . But they are n't all that optimistic . Said Paul , the newly minted Sheboygan activist : `` I think the dividedness is not going away anytime soon . ''
` `` Scott Walker , '' says Scott Walker , a backer of Wisconsin Gov . Oriannah Paul . Conservative advocate says larger implications are at stake . Cuts mean `` we are no longer competitive , '' says college professor who supports recall . State Democrats spokesman : Recall is not a national issue , but a Wisconsin issue .