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On Monday Scot Ross says he will file paperwork to run for Secretary of State in the fall Democratic primary against incumbent Doug LaFollette.
It leads to a natural first question for Ross: Why run against a name with deep historic ties?
"I know what you're saying," responds Ross. "Famous last name, political history - every child grows up in Wisconsin hearing the name in school. But with the challenges we face, I don't think the central focus of this campaign should be the fact that Betsy Ross is a relative of mine."
It's a funny line for Ross - and it has the added advantage of being true. Ross can trace his family tree back seven great- grandfathers to his arrival in Deleware in 1702. On that tree is not only the flagmaker Ross, but also George Ross, who signed the Declaration of Independence.
"Betsy married into our family," says Ross, 36, who grew up in Pittsburgh and moved to Madison in 1997. He has worked in a half- dozen different Democratic offices, including past...