My primary votes went to...

I was one of the miniscule number of Wisconsin residents who actually voted today. There were a few key races that I have discussed briefly, but haven't actually endorsed. There are reasons for this.

I had all but actually endorsed JB Van Hollen in the AG race. He impressed me on a number of levels, despite the "you suck" comment. He won my vote for Attorney General.

However, the more contentious vote for me was for the 29th Assembly seat. I've covered this race here (most recently on August 24th) but haven't publicly expressed support for anyone. Isaac Weix, John Murtha, and Rob Stafsholt are all good guys and I'll support any of them in the general election. However, I'll provide my analysis of the race here.

Weix has Marine veteran experience that none of the others could come close to. That was his biggest strong point. He also developed a pretty good stump speech, though it's hard to tell how important that is in a small, rural district. He's had two big downfalls in my opinion. One is that some see him as being arrogant because of the way he carries himself. He's a Marine vet and proud of it, and doesn't hesitate to throw Marine sarcasm around. However, in the political realm this hasn't been an advantage. The second disadvantage he's had is in yard sign coverage. Outside of the Menomonie area, I haven't seen any signs for him. That's not to say they aren't there, but I certainly haven't seen them. That's not to mention the fact that he was quoted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press as saying that the voters he's been talking to don't seem to care too much about the constitutional marriage amendment. That didn't fly well with a lot of social conservatives.

Murtha has lived in Baldwin for years. He's an establishment, really. He's not only the Eau Galle town board chairman, but he's also been in a local band called "John and Dave with Trigger Happy" for years and years. They're very, very popular in the area. On top of that, he owns Murtha Sanitation. Forget the fact that he's got name recognition from a Pennsylvania congressman (who happens to share the same middle name as well); Murtha easily has the best name recognition of any of the three candidates. He's also a guy who everyone would want to have as their grandpa. His downfall is in policy. I don't believe he's much of a policy guru and he would probably be the first to admit it. It shows when he's made comments about increasing jobs here in Western Wisconsin by "bringing home the bacon." That's not going to win over many fiscal conservatives. He's also not much for public speaking, but again, I don't think that matters much in the 29th. For the record, Murtha was encouraged to run by Rep. Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson).

Stafsholt brings up the rear. I hadn't even heard the guy's name until a week or two before the filing deadline. It came in a phone call to me asking if I'd be his campaign manager. He tracked down my number somewhere and was on the go. He's been on the go ever since. The guy has plastered the district with yard signs. (And let's be honest, his white on red signs are a whole lot more distinct than Murtha's black on baby blue/green signs.) It's hard to tell whether Stafsholt or Murtha has more signs, and I'm more often in "Murtha country" than Stafsholt's area. Stafsholt didn't take long to hire a campaign manager, and she seems pretty bright. He also knows former State Senate Pro Tempore (I believe that was his position) and two-time US Senate candidate Bob Welch and has his backing. Additionally, he's pumped $20,000 of his own money into the campaign and I'm told he received $10,000 from the Wisconsin Bear Hunters. What are his downfalls? Name recognition would be a downfall, but he's certainly at an advantage over Weix in this category, being that he's plastered the district with signs. I don't know how good he is at public speaking as I haven't heard him, but I'm told he's shaky. I've also heard concerns from some people regarding his stance on certain issues (such as abortion, though he does have full endorsement of Wisconsin Right to Life). However, regarding these concerns, I try to remind people that no one runs for office with full knowledge of every issue. In fact, most people run because of one issue that gets under their skin, and more often than not it's an issue no one else (or very few people) really cares about.

My choice was Stafsholt. I believe he's the most reliable to be fiscally conservative. That's my impression. I'm open to being wrong on that point, but it's my guess based on what I've seen. I think he's probably the smartest regarding policy. He's testified in Madison before and has been involved with issue advocacy. My impression is that he would have fewer hurdles in Madison than would the other two.

As I said, I support any of these guys. I almost hesitate to write this because I don't want either of the other two candidates to think that I don't support them for some reason. I simply felt I owed it to those who read this to say who I support and why.

Best of luck to all three of them. Whoever wins has my full support.