Owing to the primaries across the country this week, and last week's column on the importance of primaries in the determination of a political party's direction and the overall health of democracy, here's a review of Tuesday's elections. With the exception of local nut Ron Greer's nomination to face Rep. Tammy Baldwin D-Madison, the results show an electorate desiring moderation, politicians who seek that middle succeeding and a desire for proven, reliable public service.
First, a U.S. senator was added to the list of incumbents losing their primaries this year. Ultra-conservative Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., lost to U.S. Rep. John E. Sununu, son of former-governor and former-president Bush's Chief of Staff John Sununu. Various factions aligned behind each, Smith claiming notable figures like Rudy Giuliani while Sununu had several of Smith's fellow senators on his side. Smith engaged in some outrageous behavior over the years, including an ill-fated third-party presidential run lasting all of three months in 1999. New Hampshire Republicans were sick of him. A tough general election right is now expected against democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen.
In addition, pending further results, Janet Reno may have lost to first-time candidate Bill McBride for the Democratic nomination for Florida governor. Jeb Bush might have a tough race on his hands. His attempted reforms of the state bureaucracy have only made state government far worse than he found it, and his daughter was caught with crack cocaine. Compared to the sanity offered by the moderate and telegenic McBride, something could happen this November. Of course, the uncertain result is evidence of Florida's election workers being the Keystone Kops of the Democratic process.
On an interesting side note, the losses of Elaine Richardson in Arizona and Janice Cole in North Carolina mean that Emily's List, a political action committee that supports pro-choice Democratic women, has lost all nine of the nine contested House primaries they have had in the current campaign cycle. Their one success this year, Jennifer Granholm running for governor of Michigan, has specifically distanced herself from them by choosing a pro-life running mate who is a member of the National Rifle Association.
Then there's the primary here in Wisconsin where The Daily Cardinal's preferred candidate came in third, my own candidate placed second and Attorney General Jim Doyle was nominated for governor. Doyle's win is unsurprising despite not having the best field operation throughout the state or a single geographic base like Kathleen Falk had in Madison or Tom Barrett in Milwaukee. He had enough important unions such as WEAC and the Teamsters to run issue ads for him and just enough of a field presence necessary to obtain his narrow win. In retrospect, his victory is evidence that the state Democratic Party establishment is in trouble, as most had supported the so-called insurgent Barrett.
Between Falk's overemphasis on detailed policies but no statewide presence and Barrett's statewide presence but lack of emphasis on the policy outlines that he had, Doyle seemed like the known quantity to a lot of people. In the end he ran a good, balanced campaign against Barrett, who had the right qualities but not in the right proportions, and Falk, who was a stickler for specifics but was strictly a local candidate in Dane.
Scott McCallum must now face a thrice-elected statewide official who actually out-polled Tommy Thompson in 1998, and it's safe to say he'll lose.
If a single lesson can be gathered from all these disparate results, it's that in the current world environment of terrorism, war and other calamity, voters don't want a spectacle. They don't want a buffoon for a U.S. Senator, a controversial former cabinet member for governor, doctrinaire feminism for its own sake, or lesser-known candidates for high office. They want the dependability of a New Hampshire Sununu, a friendly moderate or a Wisconsin Doyle.
