So we have our primary lineups, and now we need to start making our decisions about which candidates to support. Many of these races are easy calls – the Lite Guv primary is the toughest non-judicial one for me right now, just because of the quality of the top two candidates – but not all of them are. At this time two year ago, I still didn’t know who I was supporting for President. I got it figured out then, and I’m sure we’ll all get it figured out now.
The judicial races are the hardest ones, since what makes a candidate “better” isn’t always obvious to a layperson. One reason why I do these judicial Q&As is to help me make up my own mind about some of these races. I’m reading all of them, and I’ll be considering things like a candidate’s voting record – one or two GOP primary votes, especially in years where the Dems fielded few judicial candidates, is forgivable; not voting Dem in 2008 is not – to help break ties.
For non-judicial races, I intend to do interviews of candidates in contested primaries. How many I wind up doing is a function of how responsive candidates are to my requests, and how everybody’s schedules work out. For all intents and purposes, it’s like we’re at Labor Day, by which time last year I’d already published 25 or so interviews. That was a marathon, this is a sprint. I’ve got a few lined up now, and will roll them out as I can.
Just wanted to give a heads up about where I am and what my plans are. Before anyone asks, at this time I am not planning to do any interviews or Q&As with Republicans in contested primaries. I don’t foresee having the time for it, and I can’t say I have any real interest in it. There are Republican blogs in this town who could do something like that if they felt like it – Big Jolly is a pretty good resource, if you’re interested – so I don’t feel particularly compelled to take that on. This isn’t written in stone, and I’ll plan what I want to do in the general where there’s a longer time frame later, but that’s where I am now. Any questions, let me know, and as always feedback on the interviews and Q&As is appreciated. Thanks very much.
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