| Party endorsement fights should not be negative. These campaigns should not come down to "my candidate is the only one who can win in November" because ultimately, that really means "my fellow {party} candidates cannot win."
Quite the contrary. Endorsements should be about voters and activists hearing, seeing, and interacting with the candidates and deciding which one they think will best represent their interests, desires, beliefs, and values once elected. That doesn't mean the other candidates won't represent those values if they were the candidate instead of one's preferred horse. I think each of the candidates running for Congress in Minnesota's Third district -- a district of which I am a resident, voter, and stakeholder -- would do well in representing our interests and shared values in Washington.
But endorsing one means I'm looking for a candidate who lights a fiery democratic zeal in audiences, who can turn a phrase but has a firm grasp of legal and policy issues.
That candidate is Ashwin Madia.
I won't recount the elements of Madia's stump speeches about how his parents came to America with nineteen dollars and little else, nor is my endorsement based solely on issue positions and platform statements. You can find those things out for yourself by attending any number of events or reading his campaign website.
Instead, I'll tell you what I like most about his approach to this campaign: Here's the problem put succinctly, and here's what I think we ought to do about it, put just as succinctly. You know what you're going to get on any given issue -- the issue at hand in two or three bullet points, and concise, concrete steps that Madia thinks should be taken in order to solve it.
Is Madia perfect? No, of course not. No candidate is. He will need to raise oodles of money to match up against Republican Erik Paulsen in this race, and will need bits of polish here and there as any first-time candidate does. But the necessities - fundraising ability, grassroots support and organization, clear priorities -- are all there in spades.
I have nothing but respect for Jim Hovland. It takes guts to examine your political beliefs, realize they don't match your party affiliation, and stand before the other party for its endorsement to a high elected office. Hovland has performed this task honorably and progressively. He does Edina proud.
I have equal respect for Terri Bonoff. Her story is a great one, and I happily voted for her in 2006, when I lived in her senate district. Her work on Minnesota's education system deserves high praise, and I hope that work continues to make Minnesota's education system stronger.
But Madia has proven he has the experiences, the values, and the campaign-trail work ethic to win this race and represent Minnesota's Third congressional district well for years to come.
A few words about me (since, as a blogger, I reserve the right to introspect at any time and for just about any reason): Minnesota Monitor has a policy, due to the Center for Independent Media's 501(c)3 status, that says contributors like myself may endorse, but then may not write about that race for MinMon. This means my coverage of the 2008 Third district race on Minnesota Monitor is now over. I'll still cover things here on MNCR, obviously, since this site is owned and operated by yours truly.
As a Democrat, I come down on the side of the endorsement deciding this race. There's a valid argument for a primary, but to ensure that DCCC dollars and support flow into this race, we need a single candidate in April, not September. The NRCC is strapped badly enough that this race will be a very, very tough call for them; if the DCCC throws a bit of effort at it, we can make sure that the NRCC stays far, far away where it belongs.
No matter who is endorsed on April 12th, I'll be in line to congratulate and get a button right then and there. As I said right at the start of this piece, endorsements shouldn't be about dividing, but rather about building, striving, achieving, and ultimately, about winning. Together.
That being said...
Ashwin Madia for Congress |
