Peg In Trouble?

Recent signs show Peg Lautenschlager's campaign may be in trouble.

For a while, Peg has campaigned hard thanks to a primary challenge from Kathleen Falk. But recent developments show the push the last six months may not be enough.

First, Peg has a small television buy going promoting her candidacy. But half the commercial also knocks her primary opponent Kathleen Falk. Rule in Politics: If the incumbent is attacking a primary challenger, polling is definitely not going well for that incumbent. It may help her confuse the voters on Falk's qualifications (which include over a decade as an Assistant Attorney General), but it really shows she's not winning with a primary two weeks away.

Secondly, the Sierra Club put out a press release bashing a recent settlement Peg made with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, for misleading regulators during the permitting of a massive coal-fired power plant near Wausau, Wisconsin. The paultry $21,000 settlement did not please the Sierra Club. Despite Peg's overall good environmental record, a hit like this two weeks out from the primary can't be good.

Meanwhile Kathleen Falk has a strong commercial buy with television, focusing on positives not negatives. And despite some potentially unpopular comments about drunk driving laws and check points, her campaign is continuing to gain endorsements and momentum in the crucial final weeks of the campaign.

In contrast to the two Republican candidates, "You Suck" and "No I Don't Suck", either Democrat may ultimately be stronger than their opponents. My hope is that this seat stays in the Democratic column, to keep strong legal protection for the environment and consumers.

May the strongest Democrat win.