Congressman Kind will decide in ‘weeks’ on governor opening

[undeterred]

Kind of interested in running: Congressman will decide in ‘weeks’ on governor opening
By Chris Hubbuch | [e-mail]

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind hasn’t committed to a run for governor but said Monday he might. After incumbent Jim Doyle confirmed he won’t seek re-election, the seven-term Democratic Congressman from La Crosse issued a statement saying he is considering a run and will make his decision “in the weeks to come.” Kind was returning from a family vacation out west and unavailable for comment, said campaign manager Matt Ullsvik.

“Right now, I think the possibility of Kind running for governor is pretty strong,” said University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political scientist Joe Heim. “He has been interested in running for governor or U.S. senate for years.”

Heim speculated Kind may be waiting for Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl, who is up for re-election in 2012, to retire. “He has to decide fairly quickly,” Heim said. Though he has an estimated $955,000 in his Congressional campaign fund, federal campaign finance laws limit the amount he could spend on a state race to $43,128, said Reid Magney, spokesman for the state Government Accountability Board.

Those who have raised money for in-state races, such as potential candidates Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, would be able to use everything in their war chests, Magney said.

Ullsvik said Kind essentially would have to start from scratch should he decide on a gubernatorial run. “Kind has shown the ability to raise money,” Heim said. If Kind does run for governor, it would open up the race for his 3rd District congressional seat.

So far, state Sen. Dan Kapanke, a La Crosse Republican, is the only challenger, but without an incumbent, that race would become crowded with candidates from both parties, Heim said. “These seats don’t open up very often,” he said.

http://lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/08/18/news/00lead.txt

[dembotoz]

1. what is your take on him???

I always think of him as being way way to conservative for my taste.
Seems that when you look at how the congressional delegation votes on anything, he is the dem
who is most likely to vote with the rethugs.....
Might play well in his district, but isn't it about time we had an honest to god lefty????????

will be interesting to see how his health care votes work out....

[undeterred]

2. He isn't quite a blue dog

but he is closer to it than any of Wisconsin's other congressional representatives. I strongly prefer Lawton, but here's the thing: He would be replacing Doyle or Kohl, both of whom are "centrist" Democrats. It seems unlikely that in a 50:50 state we'd be able to elect a progressive governor or two progressive senators.

I don't like him, but he's better than a Republican and he might have a much better chance of winning than Lawton.

[sybylla]

3. It also might be nice for a change to have a governor

who isn't from one of the big two: Milwaukee or Madison. Not to be all hick vs. slicker. It's just that living in Wisconsin comes with its own special set of complications outside of Madison and Milwaukee. Someone who grasps the importance of dealing with those problems as well as those in the bigger cities could be a real advantage to the whole state.

FYI: Kind is my congressman so I'm clearly biased and freely admit it.