Student organizations are refusing to pick sides in the Madison mayoral race.
The College Democrats, the College Republicans and the Progressive Green Alliance have chosen not to endorse Dave Cieslewicz or Paul Soglin as Madison?s next boss.
College Republican Ben Krautkramer said candidates do not fit the criteria the group would prefer.
?I think there is a soft preference for Soglin, but only as a lesser of two evils,? Krautkramer said.
Neither candidate fits well into the Green Party platform either, according to Progressive Green Alliance member Elizabeth Klainot. She said ousted candidate Zipperer was the only candidate that represented their viewpoints well.
?He had a lot more community and grassroots involvement, with a lot of focus on a lot of housing issues,? Klainot said. ?He was a lot more liberal on the whole.?
She said most students she knows in the party are supporting Cieslewicz over Soglin because of the large developer contributions to Soglin. However, she said party members do not like Cieslewicz?s commitment to resolving solutions through compromise.
?His stands on the issues aren?t very firm, and he leans too much toward compromises,? Klainot said.
While the candidates are too liberal for the Republicans and not liberal enough for the Greens, the Democrats, too, are too divided over the candidates to make a collective decision.
College Democrat member Steven Singh said the organization would never endorse one candidate over another when two Democrats are running.
?We?re neutral; both candidates are good Democrats and good people,? Singh said.
Madison candidates are not easily pegged, due to Madison?s non-partisan electoral system. By state law, candidates cannot be determined based on party affiliation.
According to UW?s political science professor Dennis Dresang, Wisconsin?s non-partisan elections arose out of the progressive movement between 1905 and 1911. He said the reform?s intention was to end political machines in Wisconsin, particularly the Republican Party?s domination in Wisconsin after the Civil War.
?A Republican machine comprised of three people controlled everything in Wisconsin,? Dresang said. ?They controlled the economy, the government, and anyone who wanted a job.?
Current Wisconsin law mandates that non-partisan elections be held in every county and municipality in Wisconsin.
