Elections
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Minority Leaders Don’t Get To Be Purists, Dianne Hesselbein Is A Leader in Wisconsin
State Senator Dianne Hesselbein represents a district covering West Madison, Middleton, Verona, Waunakee, and villages across northwest Dane County. She’s also the Democratic minority leader and did not face a primary challenger in August. Nathan Kalmoe is running a write-in campaign against her this November. If she prevails at the polls, she will become the… Continue reading
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Three Black Governors in 250 Years, Will Progress Break Open In Midterms?
It may seem odd to say that I was glad when Barack Obama was elected president in November 2008 because he looked like me. I knew someone in my age group (he is one year older than I am) would be in the White House shaping policy. That really mattered to me. Our nation should… Continue reading
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Independent Voters Make Wisconsin’s Governor Primary Into A Late-Night Caffeinated Nail‑Biter
(I posted this column as the flash drives in Milwaukee were being transported back to the central count location before being returned to the county courthouse to have results announced.) Close election nights are democracy at its most caffeinated. (Pardon me for that cheap line.) But after the nailbiter of an uber-close precinct-by-precinct count of… Continue reading
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Pollsters Blew Michigan By Misreading Independents, Wisconsin Might Be Next
The way independent voters align in Wisconsin’s August 11th primary and in the fall’s midterm election will make or break many a candidate. All we had to do this week was look at Michigan’s U.S. Senate primary to witness the heavy influence of the middle-of-the-road voters who refuse to wear a party jersey in a… Continue reading
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Isaia Ben-Ami Is Truly Prepared To Start Work On Day One In State Assembly
There’s a particular kind of state legislative candidate who strikes my fancy. Someone who is serious about policymaking. Someone who knows the inside ropes and pulleys that make the machinery of the statehouse work. It takes more than a desire to be elected as a state representative. To be effective, one needs a certain background… Continue reading
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Democrats Need To Take A Hard Look At Electability In Wisconsin’s Governor’s Race
Wisconsin Democrats face a hard truth on August 11th when they cast ballots for the gubernatorial nominee in November. The resounding fact is that not every candidate who wins a spirited intraparty contest can survive the political climate awaiting them this fall. The state’s electorate has hardened into a rather narrow band of persuadable voters,… Continue reading
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Select Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Who Can Protect The 2028 Election In Wisconsin
We all have our reasons for supporting this candidate or that candidate in the Democratic August primary for governor. Over the past months, I have pressed for a pragmatic choice in the primary so we can win and hold this most important elective office in the state. While data centers, childcare, and sound schools are… Continue reading
Caffeinated Politics 