Democrats across the country are feeling the hangover of one of the most disastrous elections in recent memory. Sweeping Republican victories in key elections, including the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, iced Tuesday’s electoral cake for the Party of Teflon; no matter what Democrats throw at Republicans, nothing sticks on Election Day. Gov. Scott Walker has now won three elections in four years. Despite the anger in Madison, the lesson here is the Democratic Party of Wisconsin cannot build a stable strategy centered on being anti-“insert Republican boogeyman.”
The upside to an otherwise miserable election is there is another election in two years where the climate will be more favorable to Democrats. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson rode a Republican wave to election in 2010 and will be up for re-election in 2016. With the Democratic vote usually more likely to turn out during presidential elections, Johnson is beatable, but DPW needs to find a candidate.
The previous high-profile gubernatorial candidates have proved lackluster in unseating Walker. While Tom Barrett and Mary Burke are fine individuals, did anyone vote for either candidate because of their policies, or did they get votes because they were not named Scott Walker? Wisconsin doesn’t boast a deep Democratic bench of quality statewide candidates, and a new cohort will need to step up to avoid an embarrassing 2016 where the Democrats fail to unseat the spectacularly unremarkable Johnson.
Here are a few of my early favorites to challenge Johnson in 2016. Each of these could mount a serious campaign on their own merit and win, especially in a presidential year.
Former Sen. Russ Feingold is the early favorite to run in 2016. He’s still popular, he’s experienced and he could get national groups riled up for a good old-fashioned progressive. His values as a liberal senator are unquestioned and he has the name recognition to quickly tighten the race, but the real question is if he wants to run again at all, or if he has sights set on a higher office. Many on the left are skeptical of Hillary Clinton for not being the progressive they want leaving Feingold an opening. If he does run for Senate, however, he should be an instant front-runner as polling from April shows him up 6 percent on Johnson.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, has been a staple of the Wisconsin Congressional delegation since he was elected in 1997. He has consistently performed well in his district against numerous opponents including surviving several Republican waves in 2010 and 2014. His resume also reads like a fictional legislator’s dossier: Harvard quarterback, Master’s Degree from London School of Economics, tough-on-crime prosecutor in La Crosse, congressman for 18 years. Deciding not to challenge U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin for the 2012 Democratic Senate nomination, Kind is the “next batter up” for the DPW. He is young enough – 51 – to have several terms, and like Feingold, is more progressive than many Democrats in Washington, DC. However, Kind currently has a good gig in La Crosse and it may be difficult to convince him that a statewide race with uncertain results is a better than keeping western Wisconsin under a representative who can certainly keep it blue. If he does decide to run, polling from April has him keeping pace with Johnson.
Sen. Julie Lassa, D-Steven’s Point certainly has the public service background to step in on day one and succeed. She also is from a blue pocket in a sea of red that is absolutely crucial in determining how Wisconsin swings. In a presidential year I think the Democrats would see good turnout for a hometown candidate. My biggest concern is whether she can generate the national level support to compete financially with Johnson. Kind and Feingold are better positioned to garner big donor support, but Lassa is a smart woman who we will be seeing in some future election.
Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm is a dark horse candidate right now. Chisholm, the top cop in arguably Wisconsin’s most active prosecutor’s office, has made a name for himself prosecuting violent crime in Milwaukee and, more recently, the John Doe investigations against former members of Walker’s staff that have led to four felony convictions thus far. Chisholm’s biggest drawback – besides likely getting walloped – is that he is from Milwaukee, an area bound to vote for a Democrat anyway, and Milwaukee and Madison Democrats don’t always perform well statewide.
Others like Wisconsin Rep. Peter Barca, Winnebago County Executive Mark Harris, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and Wisconsin Sen. Kathleen Vinehout may emerge as candidates.
If I were a betting man, I would put early money on Kind being the eventual nominee but much can happen in two years. I think Kind brings a great background to the table and has shown he can win in a Republican climate. We need a candidate who is progressive, strong and can stand on their own in a state tired of hearing about Walker. It cannot be another anti-Walker race in 2016 or it will end like all of the anti-Walker races have: in Republican victory.
Adam Johnson ([email protected]) is a graduate student at the La Follette School of Public Affairs.
