Not all that long ago, Tommy Thompson epitomized the Republican Party in Wisconsin. After serving an unprecedented four terms as governor, he worked for George W. Bush as the secretary of Human and Health Services before an aborted presidential campaign in 2008. In 2010, he considered running against Russ Feingold for U.S. Senate. Most polls had the two neck and neck, but Thompson pulled out and the seat was eventually won by Tea Party candidate Ron Johnson.

That last result is perhaps most telling of Thompson’s current Senate chances. Granted, there has been some backlash against the Republican Party, but ask yourself: How successful has it been? The Republicans lost two of their seats but still have control of the Senate. While the recalls were a landmark in terms of expression of public opinion, they ultimately didn’t have the desired effect. If anything, the recalls polarized people’s political positions, making them less receptive to any criticism of the candidate (and therefore party) they supported.

Which brings us back to Tommy Thompson. During his 14-year tenure as governor, he was heralded as a champion of moderate conservatism; his most notable achievement included America’s first parental school-choice program, a policy that was heavily supported by his Democratic colleagues in the Capitol. He also masterminded the BadgerCare program, a health care policy designed to provide coverage to those who fell through the cracks of Medicaid and weren’t provided with health insurance by their employers.

Wisconsin state politics is national politics on a smaller scale. There is intransigence everywhere, as politicians and activists from both sides refuse to take responsibility for their shortcomings, instead shrugging their shoulders and blaming the other guy. Partisan positions have hardened to an almost ridiculous level, such that politicians are now afraid to speak their mind, lest it cost them their seat. One can hardly imagine how a conservative pushing health insurance reform would go down in today’s political climate.

And there we have Tommy Thompson’s dilemma. By recognizing that some things are bigger than petty one-upmanship and sticking true to his values and past record, Thompson would surely break the ideological deadlock that has characterized Wisconsin politics. But to do that, he has to get past the Republican primaries, and that could be tough.

Thompson will not only be fighting his fellow candidates, he will be fighting a reductive political culture that has tarnished this great state over the past year. Furthermore, he will be fighting against the very upstarts who defeated him, the establishment candidate, in his aborted senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns just a year ago. This is perhaps the real tragedy of the debacle of Wisconsin’s state politics situation – when a true leader emerges from the pack, the masses have been lulled into such a state of absolute scepticism that they may not notice.

I don’t mean to suggest that Tommy Thompson is perfect or some divine realization descended from heaven to save Wisconsin from impending ruin; the man has his flaws. His questionable position on gay rights is one of them, an incident in Washington is another. When Thompson was secretary of Health and Human Services, he was accused of manipulating cost estimates of a proposed bill and then threatening to fire the actuary who came up with the original higher numbers.

He was never prosecuted for his indiscretions, and it is unlikely that many people remember this, given his relatively low-profile position in an administration littered with unforgettable characters. So yes, Tommy Thompson is far from perfect – but he is still a damn sight better than any of those who have announced their candidacy in the Republican primaries thus far.

Not even a decade ago, Thompson was leading a strong state through a period of economic prosperity. In the intervening time, he has seen his hard work ruined through a mixture of economic mismanagement (albeit not from Wisconsinites) and political maneuvering that borders on the absurd.

While I hope they prove me wrong, I doubt that Wisconsin Republicans want Thompson. Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald believes that “people are looking for something different.” If conservative voters are looking for another Tea Party candidate who can perfectly recite the ideals of the new conservatism (small government, low taxes, no social welfare … you get the drift), Fitzgerald is right. If they’re looking for a voice of reason, someone to wade through the political brouhaha, then they need to look no further than Tommy Thompson.

Shawn Rajanayagam ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and American studies.