The summer's not over yet, and gubernatorial politics is keeping pace with the temperature. In this week's issue, former editor Marc Eisen proffers his assessment of the race to come just after the race before the race, otherwise known as the Republican primary, delivers the other bracket contender.
It's already known that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will carry the Democrats' banner into the November contest. We have to wait until the Sept. 14 primary to discover whether Milwaukee County Exec Scott Walker or former Congressman Mark Neumann will be the GOP champion.
The Republicans expect to enjoy rousing election success this fall, assuming widespread voter backlash against the party in power, due primarily to the blight that has affected the economy over the last two-plus years. Eisen considers the chances that a universally acclaimed "nice guy" has against the prevailing assumption that the Republicans are right. (I should say "correct." We already know they're coming from the right.)
And how correct might Eisen be in his assessment? Well, he has a better chance than most in scoping out the political landscape, having surveyed the scene for more than three decades. He spent 20 years as editor of Isthmus and eight years before that working here on the news beat, which included watching the antics that took place in the Capitol, across the street from the Isthmus office.
These days he is a credentialed member of the punditerati - not many folks working in the political observation field have his bona fides. We're happy to have his seasoned contributions to abet the coverage and commentary that come from younger Turks who weigh in on our pages and website, though we appreciate the fresh vantage points.