Carolyn Fath
As the Aug. 14 primary draws near, I’ve had conversations with my fellow progressives about which gubernatorial candidate to vote for. Should we vote for frontrunner Tony Evers in order to give him the stronger position to start off the general campaign? The NBC/Marist poll that showed Evers beating Walker 54-41 has only made that option more enticing. Or should we vote for the candidate we like the most, regardless of his or her position in the polls?
For me, the answer is clear: Democrats should vote for the candidate they like the most, not the one who has the best chance of winning. Read up on the candidates and let that guide your decision, not polling data. With candidates that range from great to good to Josh Pade, almost every Democrat should be able to find a candidate to champion on Aug. 14.
That’s not to say that there aren’t lots of good reasons to vote for Evers beyond his position as the frontrunner. His role as the superintendent of the Department of Public Instruction has given him unparalleled expertise when it comes to K-12 schools, something Gov. Scott Walker is trying to sloppily outflank with his “education governor” rebranding. Evers has also served as a regent for the UW System, where he has passionately defended our universities from threats ranging from budget cuts to the gutting of tenure.
Evers, with his soft, affable tone, is a shrewder campaigner than many realize. He regularly gets away with brutal knocks on the governor because he sounds like Mister Rogers. Anyone who thinks Evers is another middle-of-the-road candidate in the mold of Barrett or Burke is sorely mistaken.
But Evers isn’t the only strong candidate. Kelda Roys is clear, direct and she’s talking about issues that matter, particularly to younger voters. She’s also run the best campaign, period. I have been surprised that her poll numbers haven’t risen in response. Still, with the large number of primary voters who are still undecided, I could see a lot of late-breaking votes go her way.
Mahlon Mitchell’s role as a labor leader also makes him very appealing, and unions have been lining up behind him. Right-to-work passed in Walker’s second term after the governor tried to downplay it during the campaign; it’s not hard to imagine some Walker voters from union households coming back and voting for Mitchell. And, as a man of color, Mitchell is the only candidate who can talk about our state’s racial disparities without coming across as awkward or stilted.
While I’ve got concerns about Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) and Mike McCabe, I understand why they’ve got their devoted voters. Honestly, I’m sad Vinehout and McCabe are both running. I feel like they are splitting the agrarian populist vote — the folks looking for a more rural focus, outside of the usual Democratic Madison-Milwaukee political axis. While both have had lengthy careers working for the Legislature, they are each running as political “outsiders,” a powerful brand in 2018. I feel like one of them would be a contender, polling a strong second after Evers. Two of them dilute the voter base. I largely reject the notion that this primary has been too crowded — with the notable exception of these two candidates. Still, that’s no reason why you shouldn’t support either one of these candidates.
Then, you’ve got the candidates that aren’t my first choices but I encourage you to support them if their platforms speak to you. Sure, Mayor Paul Soglin put more effort into blocking a Taco Bell’s liquor license than he put into his entire gubernatorial campaign. But if you like him, vote for him. Then there’s some lawyer kid named Josh Pade. If you are a member of his family, go ahead and vote for him. Feel proud that Joshy made it on the ballot!
The only candidate I find problematic is Matt Flynn. His history as the attorney for the Milwaukee Archdiocese makes him an awful candidate. But vote for him if you really want to, even though I’m not exactly sure why you would.
The point is, if you are voting for a Democrat in this election, I don’t care which candidate you choose. I want you to walk out of that voting booth feeling good about your vote.
What I do care about is that we come together and support the winner of the primary. I’m planning for it to be Evers and I’ll proudly wave the Tony flag. But I’ll also be happy to wear the Roys button or the Mitchell hat. I’ll download Vinehout’s admittingly-rockin’ Pat Benatar playlist. If the voters choose it, I’ll even wear the McCabe blue jeans.
This is how the system works. All of these candidates have at least some strong positions. All of them (minus Flynn) will be an unfathomably large improvement over our state’s current governor. I’m excited to vote for my personal first choice on Aug. 14 and then I’m excited to support the winner of the primary all the way through November and beyond.
Alan Talaga co-writes the Off the Square cartoon with Jon Lyons.