Hintz Wins A Decisive Victory In The 54th

Gordon Hintz won a decisive victory in the 54th assembly district. He did it in part because of a great showing on the UW Oshkosh campus: 72% support for Democrat Hintz over Republican Julie Pung-Leschke.

I'm sure some Republicans will claim Hintz ran a negative campaign. The reality is that the race was nasty on both sides, but Gordon worked hard and was able to overcome huge amounts of outside spending by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, "All Chidren Matter," and other "go for the jugular" groups. The only way to defeat the viciousness coming out of groups like that is to go door-to-door and meet voters one-on-one. Gordon did quite a bit of that kind of retail campaigning, and it shows in the election results.

I like and respect Julie Pung-Leschke, but she never quite found her voice during the campaign. She never seemed able to see the irony of rejecting the label "politician" at the same time refusing to answer--or taking very long to answer--some basic questions about political reform in the state. And while everyone running for office wants to believe that when they get elected they will be the most independent representative who ever lived, the fact of the matter is that in Wisconsin there is a very high correlation between who pays the campaign bills and what policies get passed. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, All Children Matter, the realtors, and others attempted to so completely hijack the Pung-Leschke campaign that I think it had a backlash effect: swing voters were able to see all too clearly the attempt that was being made by outside groups to buy the seat and they resented it. After this experience, I hope Julie will become a leader in the much needed effort to reform the way politics is played in this state.

What can we expect from Gordon Hintz? Because we are living in a time when the Republicans win even when they lose (almost all the major issues in our state and nationally are framed in ways that benefit the Republican agenda), I think Gordon (like Jim Doyle) will spend much time trying to restrain Republican excesses. Things that would actually benefit the population (e.g. progressive income taxes, guaranteed health care, tuition freeze, instant runoff voting, ending the closed partisan caucuses, etc.) are off the table in the lobbyists' legislature, but Gordon can still be a strong voice for restoring shared revenue, making sure financial aid keeps pace with tuition increases, and other moderate measures. He will also be much more responsive to local governments than his predecessor, Republican Gregg Underheim, ever was.

For those of us who have spent more than a decade trying to move the politics of the Fox Valley in a more progressive direction, Gordon's victory tonight represents a step in that direction. I guess we'll have to see what he does once he gets to Madison to see how big or small of a step it really is.