Now that's a politician

I live in a mostly Democratic area and our current State Representative is term limited so there is vigorous Democratic primary to replace him. Since I have no faith the Republican can actually win the seat, I am going to vote in the democratic primary. No this does not mean my transformation from right wing conservative to left wing radical is complete. I am simply being pragmatic and hope to get the least offensive democrat elected.

In my quest to find the right candidate, I did some research on each of them. There are 6 total and most of them have websites. Even so, I am struck by the dearth of information on real issues. Every candidate's site talks about jobs and supporting education, blah, blah blah but none mentioned many specifics and few of the issues that I care about were mentioned. So I decided I would write each candidate and ask them if they were pro life, if they supported expanding the number of charter schools, and how they plan to address the state budget deficit.

To my surprise one candidate, Jerry Hollister called me an hour after I sent him an email. I was shocked that he responded so quickly. Either they have a very well run and agile campaign or he has nothing better to do than check his email every half hour. We had a good conversation about the new economy and while I don't agree with him on abortion or school choice, the mere fact that he called me personally goes a long way in garnering my support. Chris Lewless, another candidate sent me an email the same day which was very timely as well and I appreciate his specific and detailed responses.

Through this exercise, I have found ways to benefit our own campaign. First, put out as much information as possible because it's hard to find otherwise. Second, be responsive and timely. Third, direct and upfront is okay even if you don't agree because at least people respect that. Having said all this I still haven't decided who to vote for just yet. I am still waiting for half the field to get back to me.