Six Democrats who could challenge Walker in 2018

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After Gov. Scott Walker’s presidential bid failed, I was really hoping he’d just finish out his second term and go off to some talking-head or consulting job, or even pull a Sarah Palin and leave office early.

But now Walker seems to be gearing up to run for a third term. The “remember the times before I moved to Iowa” focus of his State of the State address and his invitation-only listening tour around the state make him look like a governor in rebuilding mode, not just somebody waiting out the clock.

Now, he could change his mind. Former Gov. Jim Doyle was getting ready to run again in 2010 until he saw the writing on the wall and decided to retire rather than be crushed. But, for the moment, Walker is the candidate.

Damaged by his national flop, Walker is more vulnerable than he has ever been. But he’ll only get defeated in a statewide race if Democrats have a decent candidate. This race is also incredibly important — the governor elected in 2018 will have the power to veto the next round of redistricting bills.

I don’t think it is too early for Democrats to start thinking about who will challenge him. I know the election is almost three years away, but Wisconsin Democrats started testing the waters for a Mary Burke run by July 2013. July 2013 is when a Democratic poll went public; the actual work to prep Burke behind the scenes probably started months earlier.

Here are six Democrats I think could beat Walker in a head-to-head race.

1. Sen. Jennifer Shilling

Strengths: Jennifer Shilling of La Crosse is one of the most lively Democrats in both chambers. Her position as senate minority leader gives her more airtime than most Democrats and makes her the natural spokeswoman for the opposition. On a personal level, she survived a family tragedy that would break almost anyone. She has the will to withstand the 18-month marathon of a high-profile governor’s race.

Weaknesses: Her office issued a press release knocking the Walker administration for the state’s falling ACT test scores. However, it was pretty clear that Wisconsin’s ACT test scores fell because the test is now administered to many more students. Issuing the press release means she is ready to be aggressive, but there are plenty of ways to attack our state’s current leadership that can’t be debunked by a simple Google search.

2. Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson

Strengths: Tom Nelson has a healthy mix of experience at the state and county level. As the former assembly majority leader, he can wax poetic about how much better state government worked before 2011. He’s the head of a red county; Burke got walloped there in 2014, which means he is a Democrat who can appeal to voters outside of Madison and Milwaukee.

Weaknesses: As a legislator and as a county exec, Nelson represented conservative areas, and his fiscally conservative record reflects this. Nelson would have to do some work to get progressives excited; otherwise, he’s just going to look like an out-state Tom Barrett.

3. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi

Strengths: Another former legislator turned county exec, Joe Parisi has done a lot of great work in Dane County, even if he’s been a little less flashy about it than his predecessor, Kathleen Falk. When it comes to economic growth in this state, you can’t beat Dane County. His record could get progressives and environmentalists in the party excited in a way they weren’t for Barrett and Burke.

Weaknesses: Walker vs. Dane County is a storyline Walker has been pushing since 2010, and it has worked out pretty well for Walker so far.

4. Sen. Kathleen Vinehout

Strengths: Kathleen Vinehout is smart, particularly on rural and agricultural issues. She hails from Alma and could win back the rural voters that state-level Democrats have ignored for way too long. Her run in the recall election and her almost-run against Burke have given her background on what it takes to run a statewide campaign

Weaknesses: Pro-choice groups aren’t going to be ecstatic about her run. Also, she doesn’t exactly light up the room. She might need to watch some Bernie Sanders speeches to figure out how to build up some populist fire while spouting economic statistics.

5. Sen. Julie Lassa

Strengths: The longtime state senator from Stevens Point has only once run for higher office, when she competed against Sean Duffy in the 1st Congressional District back in 2010. She lost, but the election was part of a conservative wave that even took down the mighty Russ Feingold. I thought she did a great job in that competitive race and would like to see her in a high-profile race again.

Weaknesses: She’s been in the Wisconsin’s upper chamber for more than  a decade, so she’ll have a voting record ripe for attack ads.

6. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore

Strengths: Why do Democrats win Wisconsin in presidential elections but get clobbered at the midterms? Turnout. Many Democratic voters don’t show up in the off-years. Frankly, based on the Barrett and Burke campaigns, they’ve had little reason to. Why should a potential voter in Milwaukee making little more than minimum wage believe a millionaire bicycle heiress understands her pain? Let’s give someone who can fire up low-turnout voters a shot at La Follette’s old chair. Let’s get a candidate who might actually do something meaningful about Wisconsin’s shameful racial disparities. Let’s get a candidate who has beaten Scott Walker before. Rep. Gwen Moore fits all of those categories.

Weaknesses: I think the Democratic Party of Wisconsin might be too cowardly to run a strong black female in a statewide race, even though Obama outperformed almost every single white Democratic presidential candidate in this state since the ’70s. Also, Moore can be a little forceful with her analogies. Last year, she said that Walker was “tightening the noose around black people.” Too strong? Perhaps. But I think I prefer it to the milquetoast opposition Walker has had in the past.