Delegates Joe May, Tom Rust and Tag Greason are now officially guaranteed reelection. Not only did they not draw a Republican opponent in a primary contest, but no Democrat would run against them either. While unopposed races generally draw, at best, a ho-hum from both the press and the electorate, these guys deserve a closer look.
One could attribute the absence of a Democratic challenger to many things – favorable redistricting, the power of incumbency, and a slightly right-of-center electorate to name a few. However, there’s a lot more to it than that. Often, a challenger will take on an incumbent, even if he doesn't have a chance of winning, just to make a point. And these districts are not so heavily Republican that a good Democrat could never win. No, the real reason these gentlemen did not draw challengers from either party is that they have qualities that truly transcend party lines. They are respected, reasonable men who seek to build reasoned consensus instead of political fiefdoms. They are not demagogues. They are not opportunists. And while they are, obviously, politicians, they are, in the truest sense, citizen legislators who clearly seek to do the right thing for their constituents.
What’s particularly amazing is Tag. He’s a first term delegate who took the seat from a Democrat who had held it for two terms. To not draw any opponent after just one term says a lot for his reputation on both sides of the aisle.
They all should be applauded for continuing to do the things that make them great citizen legislators.
No comments:
Post a Comment