A Tale Of Two Gubernatorial Races

It was the best of gubernatorial races; it was the worst of gubernatorial races.  

The nice thing about this year's gubernatorial race is that it was really easy to see the bad choices. Heck, they even sometimes took themselves out of the race. And now we have a zombie campaign of a guy who can't decide if he's in or out - or even who he really is.  

But it is also a very difficult choice because we are fortunate enough to have not one, but two, great candidates in Mandela Barnes and Francesca Hong.  They are both wonderfully progressive.  They both have very similar platforms, including making the rich finally pay their fair share of taxes; fully funding schools; universal childcare; making healthcare more affordable; and workers' rights.

There are only a few subtle differences between the two, and that is probably due more to semantics than to actual differences.  Hong is stronger on AI data centers, whereas Barnes is more focused on affordability issues and workers' rights.  

Before I go further, let me state this as clearly as I can: if either Hong or Barnes wins the primary, they will have my full support in the general election. I would be happy and eager to vote for either one. In fact, it would have been ideal if one of them ran for Lt. Governor. That would be the dream ticket of a lifetime.

But who to vote for in the primary?  I've thought about this long and hard, going back and forth between the two of them.  

I have finally decided to cast my ballot for Mandela Barnes.

Let me explain why. The only real difference between the two of them is experience. They are both fearless. They both are strong on their positions and can go toe to toe with Tom Trumpfany.

But the thing is, based on what I've seen, I think Hong will be able to stand her ground. However, I know that Barnes can do it.  Barnes has shown that time and again by standing up to Scott Walker and taking on Ron Johnson, coming within a breath of beating RoJo. Even Ben Wikler said that the DNC dropped the ball by not showing up for Barnes.

Furthermore, Barnes has shown he is unafraid of the establishment. He became a state rep by beating Jason Fields, who was known as Robin Vos's favorite Democrat. He also stepped up and ran against then State Senator Lena Taylor, who had sold out her constituents more times than I can count.  And he's had to deal with attacks from the Democratic establishment during this election cycle, even before he formally announced his campaign.

So, while I am voting for Mandela Barnes in the primary, I am ready to support either of these wonderful people in the general.

You can visit Hong's website here.

You can visit Barnes' website here.

PS: Both candidates are to be commended for running clean campaigns and not sniping at each other, which is more than can be said for the also-rans.