Why Falk is the strongest choice to beat Walker

An essay by Melissa Malott, which she was kind enough to give me permission to reproduce hear:

To those looking to vote for the safest candidate to beat Scott Walker:

A lot of people are unsure about who to vote for tomorrow, and looking to vote for the strongest choice to beat Scott Walker in June. I'm voting for Kathleen Falk because I think she's that candidate; my voting for her actually is indirectly related to her stellar environmental record.

Beating Scott Walker is the top priority, and choosing the right candidate is critical to success. We know that in the next month, Scott Walker will spend an unprecedented amount of money to stay in office. He will use that money in hopes of continuing his disastrous agenda against the environment, working families, and open and transparent government.

The only one way to overcome the amount of money Walker will inject into this race is with people power. Person-to-person contact is more important that all the television ads in the world. It took 30,000 volunteers to get 1 million signatures. People talk to their friends and neighbors about the election, and who to vote for. People remind people to vote. People get voters out to vote.

With that in mind, think about what this campaign could look like in the next month. With one candidate, that campaign could look like a choice between the lesser of two evils, where the Democratic candidate beats up on public employees, teachers, "liberal Madisonians," and vulnerable populations,* sucking the life out of the movement we've built by tearing down the very people who've built it. With another candidate, it could look exactly as powerful as the hundreds of thousands of people who've stood up for their rights in the last year; with a candidate who supports working families and teachers, this campaign will be a clear choice between "for teachers," and "against teachers." While some Walker supporters will vote against teachers, Wisconsinites are, by large, for teachers. We need a campaign that presents a clear choice. We need a candidate who has a strong grassroots network, in place, statewide, that's been tested and is ready to go for the general election.

There is one candidate with that campaign well started, and it's Kathleen Falk.  The organizations behind Kathleen provide a membership of hundreds of thousands of volunteers, and with that people power, we'll be able to beat Scott Walker. We can do this with Kathleen.

Here are the top reasons why Kathleen is the strongest choice against Scott Walker:

• The statewide coalition supporting Kathleen Falk is already hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites strong, of working men and women, teachers, environmentalists, women’s rights advocates, young progressives and community organizers, and they are passionately for a future with Governor Falk! There are already 14 offices across the state supporting Kathleen, and this coalition will only get bigger after the primary as people come together to beat Walker. 
• Kathleen Falk has a proven record as the strongest candidate statewide. Kathleen got 50,000 more votes in her 2006 Attorney General race than Barrett got in 2010, even though fewer people voted in Kathleen's election in 2006 than Barrett's in 2010. North of Highway 10, Falk's '06 Attorney General race got her a higher percentage of votes cast (7.6%) and more votes cast (29,094) than Barrett in 2010, even though more votes were cast in 2010. (Why is this? Kathleen Falk has relationships across the state that go back decades. She was appointed in 1983 by Wisconsin's Attorney General Bronson LaFollette and served as Wisconsin's Public Intervenor, the state's environmental watchdog. For nearly 15 years, she worked for citizens all across Wisconsin helping them fight for clean air and water.) Moreover, no Milwaukee-area Democrat has won the governor's office in the last 120 years, and with Walker pulling votes from Barrett, it could be even more difficult this time.  
• Kathleen Falk's record is the strongest contrast to Walker, and will best appeal to voters. Many of us are familiar with Kathleen's nationally significant record protecting the environment and advancing environmental protections, but there is so much more about her record that appeals to people across the state because it lines up with their values and clearly contrasts with Walker's. First of all, Kathleen is a sound fiscal manager; under Falk's leadership, Dane County achieved a triple A bond rating, meaning borrowing is at an incredibly low interest rate. Her strong support of restoring funding for education at the k-12, technical college, and 4 year college levels have earned her the support of teachers, students, working families and businesses across the state. Her record advancing women's issues earned her an award as Woman of the Year by the National Organization of Women, and this will especially help in a year when there is a significant gender gap between the parties. Because of her life’s work, she has been urged to run for Governor by progressives, Democrats, Independents, some Republicans, women, business leaders, educators, conservationists, gay and lesbian leaders, and union workers.
• Kathleen Falk is the hardest-working candidate and the strongest fundraiser. Kathleen's work ethic is legendary. She has worked full-time every day during the recall, traveling across the state to help. She has the passion, commitment and energy needed to defeat Scott Walker.

For all of these reasons, I hope you'll vote for Kathleen Falk tomorrow, May 8th, and get your family and friends to do so, too. In case you're wondering where to vote, you can find out here: https://vpa.wi.gov/VoterSearchScreen.aspx.

Sincerely,

Melissa Malott

p.s. - Plus, how cool will it be to elect our first woman governor after this mess?

*Remember Barrett's rhetoric about putting Madison on a diet, and picking on prisoners with sexual identity disorders? Tearing us down by picking on public employees and vulnerable populations is not ending the civil war, it's tamping one side down. We need someone who brings us together by listening to and respecting all voices.