It may have been a matter of nanoseconds after Governor Doyle announced that he would not seek a third term that Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton joined the race. It’s pretty logical that someone who has been rarely utilized by her boss would jump at the chance of being able to call the shots. Most political insiders, as well as the general public, assumed that would not be the only Democratic candidate for the 2010 race.
The names of State Senators Russ Decker and Jon Erpenbach, Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan, our own Kathleen Faulk, Congressman Ron Kind, and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett have been dropped. Other than Barrett, the rest have either publicly declined to seek the position or appear unlikely to attempt to build a statewide campaign. The depth chart of Democrat Candidates in Wisconsin is getting close to rock bottom, especially given that Senator Russ Feingold would have little interest in taking over a job that would be at best a lateral career move. Congressman Kind appeared a near lock to enter the race, but appears to have been talked out of it after the Democratic National Committee realized they didn’t have a backup plan for his seat.
So that leaves Lawton along with the rest of those who are paying attention to the Wisconsin Governor’s Race watching Mayor Barrett’s every move to get a sense of whether or not he is going to jump in. You can’t blame Lawton for having her fingers crossed that she can get through the Democrat primary without a major challenger. Lawton, though, has taken an extra step and begun to poke a sleeping Barrett by slowly but surely shoring up support right in his back yard. These endorsers include the Milwaukee County Democrat Party Chair, Rep. Barbara Toles (D-Milwaukee), Rep. John Steinbrink (D-Kenosha), and State Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa).
The fact that these Democrat figures in the Milwaukee area are willing to endorse Lawton so soon with Barrett’s decision unknown means one of two things: either Barrett really doesn’t have the support that it seemed when he was crime fighting at the state fair or Barrett has given off enough signals that he has more than enough on his plate in Milwaukee. With the city budget process under way, the debate over the mayoral takeover of Milwaukee Public Schools, and the demand for family time, there are plenty of reasons for Barrett to not get involved in the governor’s race. It appears, with every passing day and the endorsements for Lawton adding up, she will be the only big named democrat on the primary ballot.
The bottom line: this is great news for the Lieutenant Governor; however, questions remain. Does the Democratic Party of Wisconsin hold the same opinion? As we close in on one year until the election, they may not have a choice. One thing is for sure: most Republicans would be ecstatic at the idea of a Lawton vs. Scott Walker or Lawton vs. Mark Nuemann matchup. If Mayor Barrett is serious about being a candidate for Wisconsin’s Governor, it’s time for him to wake up.
For more info on Lawton’s Endorsements:
http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=172909
For more info on Barbara Lawton’s Campaign:
For more info on Scott Walker’s Campaign:
For more info on Mark Nuemann’s Campaign: