Mar

The Ed Thompson Factor

At this weekend’s Future Wisconsin Conference, State Rep. Jeff Wood made the comment that the Republican Party needs to reach out to Ed Thompson voters in a special way for the 2006 election. I totally agree. I think the GOP needs to reach out to the Libertarian Party on a national level as well- return to our 1994 Republican Revolution roots.

The MINISTRY OF STRATEGERY would like to take this opportunity to analyze “the Ed Thompson voters”, who could accurately be compared to the 1992 Perot voters.

A few thoughts. First, talk to Republicans and generally they will say that Ed Thompson cost Scott McCallum the governorship in 2002. After all, Thompson took 10% of the vote on an anti-tax, anti-spending, pro-gov’t reform populist message. And of course the Thompson last name may have drawn off a few, albiet a very few, Republicans who were hoping for Tommy.

Secondly, in addition to message appeal, geography would suggest that Thompson voters would otherwise have been Republicans. After all, they generally came from towns and rural hamlets of central Wisconsin, the conservative folks that made this state.

What will these Thompson voters mean for 2006? First, the GOP’s tax freeze message will really resonate. In fact, almost all the GOP’s message ought to strike home. If you read Thompson’s 2002 platform, you’ll find him 1) promising to get WI out of the top 10 tax states, 2) seeking to reform Public Education/Supporting School Choice, 3) demanding Honest and Open Government, and 4) Calling for a reduction in regulation. Attend a GOP dinner, and I promise between Walker and Green all of those points will be covered, because on all four points Governor Doyle is extremely vulnerable.

I would be willing to bet my recently arrived Care Package that most of those Ed Thompson voters supported a Republican for State Legislature in 2002 and 2004. So the leap to supporting a GOP Gubernatorial candidate should not be too hard.

By focusing on a message of taxes and choices, the Freedom platform that Congressman Green outlined in his remarks to the Future WI Conference, we at the MINISTRY OF STRATEGERY feel the GOP can attract the Ed Thompson voters to our candidate in a joint effort to kick the 45% Governor off the public trough.

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