Who drives a Ford Taurus, thinks Perkins is a nice place to eat, and has, for extended periods of time, rocked a killer ‘stache? The answer could very well be just about any man in a small Wisconsin town. But, it also just so happens to be Tom Barrett, the current mayor of Milwaukee and only potential gubernatorial candidate with a real chance of keeping the governor’s office blue beyond next year’s election.

The problem is Barrett has not yet declared his intentions to seek the governor’s office, and every day he doesn’t, it looks more and more like he has no desire to. So, I am here, Mr. Barrett, to tell you to man up (because taking a tire iron to the skull won’t do it by itself) and jump into the 2010 gubernatorial race. Not for me, but for the sake of a state whose recent history shows us it clearly wants to go blue but needs the right guy to convince them to do it.

So, what’s there to like about Barrett, besides the fact that he coined the term “fresh coast” to describe the Great Lakes coastal regions? First and foremost, he is a former Badger, both as an undergrad and later as a law student. After clerking for a federal district court judge out of law school (so now we can be sure he’s smart), he entered politics, serving first as a member of the state legislature then later serving as a U.S. representative for Wisconsin’s 5th district. Following the merge of his district with another, he decided to run for governor in 2002 and finished a close second to Gov. Jim Doyle in the Democratic primary — handily beating a third-place Kathleen Falk.

His experience — both as a political candidate and in running a statewide campaign — is a definite check, and the experts agree. Last week, Rodd Freitag, chair of the UW-Eau Claire political science department, was quoted as saying, “Barrett is likely to be a more experienced and talented candidate than his Republican opponent.”

If you still don’t like him, maybe this will help: Barack Obama likes him. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week the White House wants Barrett to enter the race — and badly. The report stated the White House has had access to private polling numbers that show Barrett holds an advantage over either of his two likely Republican challengers, Scott Walker and Mark Neumann. I have always had the feeling that if the Obama team says something, one, they probably know something the rest of us don’t, and two, they are probably right.

Not only does the White House think Barrett can win, it is also reported that President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both have relatively close personal ties with Barrett. If there is one true thing in politics, it is the dynamics of personal relationships matter. A candidate with close ties to the White House would have a decided advantage in a general election for the Democratic party. And a boost for the state as a whole if he is able to win.

All of this is important. But here is the real kicker — Barrett has the personality necessary to win over parts of Wisconsin most Democratic candidates cannot touch. UW-Madison political science professor Kathy Cramer Walsh said earlier this week, “Barrett could be elected governor of Wisconsin if he can walk into the morning coffee klatches at gas stations in Mellen, La Crosse, Muscoda and Green Bay and make people feel like he is sincerely listening to and understanding their concerns.”

If there is one thing our state’s Supreme Court elections have taught me, it’s that while Wisconsin residents aren’t stupid, they also aren’t overly smart. They, like any other population, need a candidate they can identify with, sometimes more so than they can completely agree with. Not only will Barrett’s previously mentioned “simple tastes” aid him in this regard, his general disposition as an amicable and relatively funny guy will, too. And let’s not forget the importance of the fact that he is a guy in this equation as well. What this adds up to is his potential as a candidate to do just what Walsh says he must.

To Barrett then, and to borrow from the title of the piece by Eric Schmidt encouraging some other lady to jump into the same race, I have this to say: “Piggyback, Tom Barrett, piggyback.”

Piggyback on the fact you hold the decided advantage on almost every point of emphasis important to winning next year’s Democratic primary. Piggyback on Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton’s recent exit from the race. Piggyback on your ties to and support from the White House. Piggyback on Wisconsin’s recent Democratic inclinations. In any event, piggyback into the race.

And to the rest of you: When the time comes, and for all of the same reasons, piggyback on the Barrett 2010 campaign.

Alec Slocum ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in legal studies and philosophy.