Kristin Czubkowski reports reports that Paul Soglin has filed his papers to run for mayor, turning what most expected to be a dull and uncompetitive mayoral race into an exciting one.
While Soglin has not kept quiet about his distaste for some of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's decisions, news of his intention to join the race did not emerge until the end of last week. Many political insiders were unaware of the Soglin's plans until yesterday, when the former mayor sauntered into the Dane County Democrats end-of-the-year party to meet and greet.
The dynamics of the race should be fascinating. If the Madison left's turn against Soglin in the 2003 race -- in favor of a fresh progressive named Dave Cieslewicz -- was not intriguing enough, the potential that many of those same progressives will now turn to Soglin will make this spring a great time for Madison political analysts.
The breadth of Soglin's base of support will begin to emerge in the coming weeks. Will he be able to win the support of moderates, as well as progressives? Will he win any meaningful institutional backing, in spite of the overwhelming support Cieslewicz has received from the Democratic Party establishment any many other local officeholders? Would Progressive Dane endorse Soglin?
What do you think?
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