End of a Fascinating Week

I knew my mental state would be a mess after Tuesday’s primary elections, so I wanted to take a few days off to let things sink in.  I wanted to offer some observations as we enter the general election campaign…

- Scott Walker – There’s no way I want four more years of Jim Doyle, so I’m a Walker guy now.  I was disappointed that Mark Neumann lost, and I could feel a strong move in the final weekend that late breakers were going for Walker.  Had the election been a week earlier, things may have been different.  It just seemed like Neumann peaked a week early.

- Ron Johnson – Johnson, let it be known, is my new man-crush.  85 percent was a strong showing in the primary, even against a non-serious candidate like Dave Westlake.  I never took to Westlake; maybe it was his ad several months ago announcing phase three of his campaign, which was to stop raising campaign funds except off of “I AM DAVE WESTLAKE” t-shirt sales.  Anyhow, the U.S. Senate – and the GOP establishment – is in need of someone like Johnson with absolutely no political experience and a strictly private sector pedigree.

- Rebecca Kleefisch – This was, perhaps, the most disappointing result of the night.  While I appreciate Kleefisch’s overt support for Christian values, I got the feeling that she was using them as a tool to get votes for her campaign for Lieutenant Governor.  I wasn’t comfortable with that.  Further, I was not impressed with her discussion of issues.  She campaigned as the most conservative Republican in the race, and I am shamed that GOP voters took that at face value, didn’t ask tough questions of her (like they did of Brett Davis), and nominated her overwhelmingly.  Kleefisch has strong potential to become a sideshow in the fall campaign and, at some point, the Walker campaign will have to spend precious news cycles addressing something she said – or a relationship she endangered.  I thought Davis or Dave Ross would have been just fine – and would have been qualified to run the state should Walker become incapacitated or leave office.  I do not have that confidence with Kleefisch, a news reader.

- Reid Ribble – Terri McCormick didn’t win, and that is good.  Ribble has some potential, but the book has largely yet to be written on him.  The next few weeks will tell us a lot.

- Sean Duffy – After Johnson, Duffy is my next biggest man-crush.  His first ad was one of the best of the cycle thus far.  It is going to be hard for Democrats to catch a break in the 7th with a milquetoast candidate like Julie Lassa.  A lengthy post on this race is coming in the near future.

- Legislative Races – Looking statewide, there were no real surprises in state legislative primaries.  Perhaps the most interesting result was Frank Lasee’s big victory in the 1st Senate District.  Some time ago, I flatly stated that he would lose if nominated (I said the same about Dave Hutchison).  However, the way this cycle has unfolded, I no longer expect that to be the case.  Democrat Monk Elmer has been highly overrated and unimpressive thus far, and Lasee’s primary campaign was far more impressive than those he ran when he was in the Assembly.  He should hold the seat easily in November.

The next six weeks are going to be awesome.

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