When Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle shook up the electoral landscape by announcing he would not run for reelection in 2010, it took mere hours before one Democratic candidate jumped into the race. Many other potential candidates were surrounded by speculation. In the next few months there will be an exciting field of Democratic candidates battling to participate in the general election and ultimately succeed Doyle. As the guessing game for who will enter the race continues, four Democrats are well-positioned to wage a competitive campaign: Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and State Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee.
Lawton originally hails from Green Bay, where she has a strong record of grassroots activism throughout the community, including her co-founding of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. Since being elected lieutenant governor in 2002, Lawton has focused on issues of economic development, been a tireless advocate for women in the workplace and she has fought to make Wisconsin a leader in combating climate change.
Kind, the son of a telephone repairman, grew up in a middle-class family in La Crosse. He was drawn to public service by his admiration for the hardworking people who made the backbone of his community. Throughout his career, Kind has fought passionately for renewable energy and rural development and been a tireless champion for agricultural innovation. He is an influential member of the powerful House Committee on Ways & Means and has proudly represented western Wisconsin in the House of Representatives for over 11 years.
Barrett has been a political force in Wisconsin for decades. Having served in the State Assembly, State Senate and U.S. House of Representatives before being elected Milwaukee’s mayor in 2004, Barrett has proven himself an effective leader. In his five years as Milwaukee mayor, Barrett has focused on making the streets of Milwaukee safer, worked to improve the city’s economy and pushed for cleaner air and a healthier environment.
Erpenbach was a strong progressive voice before he entered politics and during his time in the state senate has continued that tradition. Starting his professional career as a radio personality and then working in communications and media relations for the state legislature, Erpenbach has firsthand experience witnessing the direct personal impact of legislation. Since he was elected to the State Senate in 1998, he has focused on personal privacy issues, small business health care reform and property tax reform.
The field of Democrats looking forward to the gubernatorial primary is diverse and strong. Each potential candidate has qualities that would make them a great leader of our state and party — but it is still early. Lawton is currently the only Democrat to officially announce her candidacy. Therefore, statements from our group about the best or most popular gubernatorial candidates would be premature. But until more candidates announce, the primary race remains an exciting time to be a Democrat. Our party has countless leaders and potential in this race. Wisconsin is a Democratic state, and will stay blue in this race for the Governor’s mansion. As for our organization, in the near future the UW College Democrats will work tirelessly to ensure that the best candidate is elected governor in 2010.
Another 2010 election on the College Democrats’ agenda is the County Board election in the spring. The County Board supervisor seat for District 5 could potentially be a great asset for students if held by an informed and passionate leader. Currently, interest in the County Board among the student population is dismal at best. Our organization will do everything we can to engage students with county issues and stimulate interest in an underappreciated position.
But the UW College Democrats are concerned with more than just winning elections. While important, elections are not the only way to push forward our popular Democratic principles. With no statewide or national elections this school year, our organization will have the opportunity to refocus our efforts on other political campaigns. We will work on issues, events and projects that reflect our Democratic values and progressive goals for the future.
This academic year, the College Democrats will reenergize our efforts by participating in community service projects and issue-based advocacy campaigns. By getting our membership involved in community service, we will build and strengthen our progressive campus community. And we will continue to push issues that are important to students. Unemployment in Wisconsin is still very high. College graduates are in danger of not being able to afford health care. Wisconsin still has a constitutional ban on gay marriage which must be repealed. Our work is far from finished, and we look forward to the year ahead.
Molly Rivera ([email protected]) is the chair of the UW-Madison College Democrats
