Looks like Governor Doesntgiveashit really doesn't.
One other thing to consider is that lame duck governors are often at their most dangerous. If Jim Doyle is no longer accountable to the voters, who knows what he might try to tackle in the next eight months. He could tackle school finance or any one of a number of other major issues knowing that he can afford to take all the negative fallout for the proposals.
Either way, this will certainly make Wisconsin politics more interesting for the next year.
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle has told associates he will announce this week that he won't seek a third term in 2010, POLITICO has learned.No big surprise I suppose, but it does explain a lot of things. Doyle's absentee governorship for instance. Or the relentless manner in which Democrats are pursuing Dan Kapanke over the smallest things. That makes more sense if one is preparing to run a candidate in an open seat, just in case Rep. Ron Kind should run for governor.
By deciding against a run, Doyle, a Democrat, sets off what could be one of the most competitive gubernatorial races in the country next year.
The governor has been coy for months about his intentions, stockpiling money but at the same time not saying publicly whether he would run for re-election.
But sources familiar with his decision not to seek a third term say Doyle recognized the difficulties he may have faced next year.
One other thing to consider is that lame duck governors are often at their most dangerous. If Jim Doyle is no longer accountable to the voters, who knows what he might try to tackle in the next eight months. He could tackle school finance or any one of a number of other major issues knowing that he can afford to take all the negative fallout for the proposals.
Either way, this will certainly make Wisconsin politics more interesting for the next year.
7 comments:
He can take the negative fallout. Legislative Democrats can't, though. If he does something too ambitious, only to have Walker win and the GOP take back the Senate and Assembly, and then they undo what he did, that doesn't help his legacy too much.
I'm betting a lot of legislative Democrats will start to distance themselves from him because they won't have to fear his wrath anymore. By the way RS, would you like to speculate on possible Democratic candidates or if any other Republicans will jump into this wide open race?
It'll sound like everything that everyone else says, but why not...
Dems: Lawton is in. From what I understand, Kind is as good as in. Kathy Falk is obviously bored with her job but she's failed at statewide races twice in the last seven years. Tom Barrett's reign as mayor of Milwaukee has been lackluster at best. Decker doesn't have a free pass. Neither does Erpenbach. My money says Lawton and Kind and nobody else of any substance.
GOP: Walker and Neumann. Walker's in and the anti-Walker people already have a horse in the race.
Erpenbach wouldn't personally have a free pass, but the Dems would likely be able to retain his seat. The only Republican who could win the seat is probably Brett Davis, and then the Dems might finally get that Assembly seat.
Wonder who will come out of the woodwork on the Democratic side...
I'd love to see Ron Kind run. I think he has the best chance (and perhaps only chance) out of all the Democrats. Even if Lawton continues to distance herself from Doyle, she's still stuck with being associated with his administration. That's tough to overcome, as Hubert Humphrey found out in the presidential election in 1968. Falk? Please God, no. No Democrat from Dane county can win at this stage, and Falk has no appeal outside of Dane county. But hey Walker will bring all these jobs in and cut everyones taxes so who cares about the Democrats?
My longshot is Sheldon Wassermann. He lost to Alberta Darling but has lofty ambtions, tons of cash and is more to the center than the lunitics on the left.
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