Sara Rodriguez - A Third Term for Evers?
Last week Tony Evers announced that he would not be seeking a third term as the governor of Wisconsin - thank god. Tony Evers was a hollow shell of the governor we needed at best, and a Republican collaborationist at worst. Now that he has stepped down however, I regret to say that once again… it is election season. I hope you all enjoyed the last 8 terrible months, because we can now look forward to 14 terrible more, but with political advertisements.
The day after Evers made his announcement Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez announced that she would be running to replace him, and some have even declared her the “front runner.” Sara is a relative newcomer to the Wisconsin political scene (I thought she was Sarah Godlewski for a long time!) having served in the Assembly for only one term before running for Lt Governor in 2022. Before making her decision to involve herself in Democratic politics Rodriguez worked in healthcare as a registered nurse, and public health official. Reportedly she was inspired to run for office by the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic and in response to draconian public health policies of Republicans.
This all sounds very above board as an explanation, and in her time as the second in command she served on several healthcare taskforces (one of which we have even talked about on this website.) However, that swift ascent to the front runner in a gubernatorial race is a bit of a red flag if you ask me. Running in most any election is incredibly expensive, and one assumes that a candidate in the Lt Governor’s position must have influential friends. Even if this were not the case, there are some serious concerns about a relative newcomer becoming the party’s nominee.
If you recall the 2017-18 gubernatorial cycle here in Wisconsin, you may remember the robust primary season. We were fresh off the national election of Donald Trump, and reeling from years under Gov. Walker. The call for change was in the air, and no fewer than 8 candidates wrestled for Democratic Party Nomination. Then, none of that mattered because Evers, the clear party choice, was handed the nomination in gift wrap.
As a political novice, Tony Evers’ two terms are defined by his penchant for being susceptible to his donor base. Democrats often find themselves balancing their loyalties between that powerful minority of their constituency, and their activist base. Rodriguez is positioned to inherit those loyalties without first having built commitments and community with broader working class movements. In Wisconsin a Lieutenant Governor’s role is primarily to succeed the Governor in case of their removal from office, history has shown us that direct line of succession does not always indicate the will of the constituency.
We Just Did This
It is as of yet unclear who all will join the race, but we at the Milwaukee Beagle are hopeful for a spirited primary wherein the State Democratic Party takes their hand off the wheel and allows the people to decide. It is worth noting here that recent comments by Evers seem to indicate that he was also shocked by his lieutenant’s announcement, but we cannot infer from this that there is no hand on the wheel from Evers or the state party for who will get the party’s nomination. When Democrats try to sell a candidate to the public we end up with Kamala Harris.
Recently delusional Democrats have tried to claim that Harris did not run a bad campaign, but, no - she lost, as you may recall. Comparing the Rodriguez campaign to Harris requires us to examine two crucial aspects. The first is easier, that is the idea that Harris lost due to racism, and/or misogyny. I will never argue that these were not factors, yet to reduce the race to identity would be to prescribe a solution to only run white men for the rest of time. Nonsense!
The second piece of the Harris campaign that we should examine as a point of comparison is that she was Biden’s hand picked successor, a deal that was perhaps struck well before his retirement in 2024. Evers’ term as governor is not dissimilar to Biden's time as president. Neither met the moment and both spurned many. This is, in many ways the Centrist Democratic burden, and they continue to hand power to fascists! Since the announcement of his retirement, Evers is often described as beloved, and within the party establishment this is certainly so, but this should not lead anyone to assume that Rodriguez is a guaranteed winner if she were to take the party’s nomination.
Representative Summer Lee reflected in a recent interview with the Intercept that both centrist and progressive democrats are learning the wrong lessons from the 2024 election. In 2024 Trump was elected in a mandate for change. Don’t get it twisted, this is not apologism for the “economically insecure among us,” but overwhelmingly people are feeling that it does not matter who is in charge. “We need to move like lives are at stake,” Lee says.
The Question for all Democrats (but Rodriguez especially)
Establishment Democrats learned the wrong thing from the 2024 presidential election. Harris was a uniquely poor candidate because she was the only politician in the country who would have to make an effort to distance themselves from the incumbent. This was what was most squandered by national Democrats. It is not enough to blame racism, or the short turnaround time of her campaign!
To Sara Rodriguez, what will you do differently than our current Governor? Using obstruction as an excuse for not accomplishing more progressive wins won’t cut it, and WISDEMS messaging about liberals controlling all three branches of government in the state feels fantastical. This question needs to be asked of every single candidate in the race for governor, and if Democratic messaging tries to tell us that things are going great in Wisconsin already, they need to be laughed at. The current administration made very real and tangible mistakes, and this was felt within the budget process this year. Once again, it is not enough to blame legislative obstruction.
The primary season is so important. I, like you, am not at all looking forward to another election cycle. However, if the activist wing of the party can keep the pressure up with the same fervor as they did in the budget fight, we may get something good out of it.
