Editor’s note: This is the second of four gubernatorial candidate stories that will appear in each issue until the Nov. 5 state election. The four candidates are featured alphabetically.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Scott McCallum is running for an office he has held for a year and a half, but was never elected to.

With seven days left until the election, McCallum came to the governor’s office when Tommy Thompson left for a Cabinet post with President Bush.

In an Oct. 16 debate in Zorn Arena, McCallum stressed holding the line on taxes and getting Wisconsin out of the top five most-taxed states in the country.

At the debate, McCallum said he does not believe raising taxes is necessary to fill the looming $2.8 billion budget deficit that the next governor will have to work with. He plans to fix the deficit by increasing state revenue from Indian nations’ operations, and he plans on a rebounding economy and on getting more money from the federal government.

“Taxes are directly related to jobs,” McCallum said at the debate. “Raising taxes drives out jobs from Wisconsin. If you don’t have the jobs, you can’t afford to have an education system, a healthcare system.”

Last year, McCallum had a $1.1 billion budget deficit to handle. To fill the hole, he sold the state’s $6 billion tobacco settlement for a one-time lump sum of $1.3 billion to cover the deficit.

McCallum’s campaign did not respond to requests for an interview.

McCallum’s Web site does not mention the UW System. He cut the System’s budget this year by $44 million, according to a press release on the UW System Web site.

The tighter budget at the university most visibly has meant fewer library hours and tuition increases.

At the debate, McCallum pointed out that he set into law automatic increases in financial aid with increases in tuition. He also signed legislation that capped tuition increases, he said.

“The university is going to be very much a partner as we create jobs in the state of Wisconsin,” McCallum said.

According to his Web site, McCallum has proposed a state constitutional amendment requiring all tax increases to be approved by referendum. He also wants to create a “rainy day fund” that would allow money to be saved when the economy is strong.

McCallum supports the qualified economic offer, the standard that gives teachers a set raise each year and denies them the right to strike.

Another one of McCallum’s goals, according to his Web site, is to raise the per capita income of each Wisconsin worker by $8,000 by 2006.

But it’s unrealistic to think raising the income level would mean leisure money, freshman Nam Van Dong said. People aren’t going to have $8,000 more, because everything else will go up in price along with the income, he said.

McCallum said at the debate that the one thing he would say about his character is that he sees the good and doesn’t dwell on the negative.

After agreeing to stop negative campaign ads at the Eau Claire debate, McCallum last week defended his recent ad accusing Doyle of being a part of the problem in the state corruption scandal.