Throughout the campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, each of the candidates has emphasized his or her background as their trump card over their opposition.
Even better for the liberally inclined, Attorney General Jim Doyle, U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, D-Milwaukee, and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk are, indeed, all worthy and highly qualified candidates. Each has polled within points of the others in recent weeks, and each could reasonably win the nomination.
Among their virtues: All of the Democratic candidates have expressed their strong support for the UW System and the state education system at large, naming the university system a top priority. They all back strong measures of campaign finance reform in state elections, and each has put forth a plan to rebuild a Wisconsin budget which faced a $1.1 billion shortfall last year.
In fact, each has his or her strength as well: Doyle specifically stressed his wish that the university not only remain a successful institution, but an accessible one as well. This is especially welcome in light of recent news of soaring tuition rates and problems of minority retention system-wide.
While all the candidates have expressed their support for the campaign finance bill put forth by state Sen. Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, Barrett is the only candidate who has taken the next step by turning down offers from campaign contributors to run advertisements on his behalf during the election, leading the way on one of the primary controversial components of the campaign finance debate.
However, in these difficult financial times, both nationwide and in the state, perhaps it is Falk's economic experience and her proposals that recommend her higher than her opponents. In the five years she has served as county executive, Falk has closed budget gaps with timely cuts and worked with a comparatively conservative county board to maintain a triple-A bond rating, the highest rating available by which to measure.
Falk has stated her priorities to overcome further projected deficits. As county executive, she has cut own her salary in the past, a trend which she has vowed to continue. Rather than laying off county employees, she instituted hiring freezes to save money, and she's frank with prospective voters that she would consider raising the cigarette tax to help out where past budgets had left losses and deficit projections.
Furthermore, unlike her opponents, Falk isn't afraid to chip away at funds to substantially bloated state departments. Where Doyle and Barrett have eagerly expressed a willingness to cut the Department of Electronic Government, Falk has been the lone voice prioritizing cuts to the Department of Corrections, supporting reduced sentences for non-violent offenders.
Falk is no slouch as far as the university is concerned, either. As a graduate of the university and a recipient of the university's goodwill toward the county economy, she appreciates the role of an educated public and has stated her desire to keep UW graduates in state by raising the state's per capita income.
With a strong resume in environmental concerns, Falk has been hailed statewide by environmental groups for her pre-county executive post as the Department of Natural Resources' last public intervenor'an environmental law post eliminated by during Gov. Tommy Thompson's tenure which Falk said she would like to reinstitute.
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, credited student voters for handing her a victory in 1998, and has gone on to advocate strongly on behalf of students in Congress. Tomorrow, students have the opportunity to provide the same service for Falk, who, if elected, could return even greater dividends to the student body, and the state as a whole.
To our friends in the GOP...
We have not forgotten about Republican candidates, but we believe Gov. Scott McCallum will easily win the nomination and therefore feel it unnecessary to justify an endorsement of him in the Republican primary. Stay tuned for more on the GOP as the general election approaches.
