Legislators look ahead
Area Democrats strive to improve multiple issues
Jacob McCormick
Issue date: 11/10/08 Section: News
Legislators say there's no victory like the first one on election night.
"It's always so exciting (after the first win) and you should relish that," said Rep. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire), the winner over Republican challenger Darcy Fields 59 to 41 percent. "The second time you're looking for reassurance from voters and I think I got what I was looking for."
Joining incumbent Eau Claire-area state and national representatives Smith and Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) in victory was first-term state representative Kristen Dexter (D-Chippewa Falls), who narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Terry Moulton by a slim margin of 275 votes. Kind beat Republican Paul Stark 63 to 35 percent.
Dexter said she knew the campaign would be rough and challenging because incumbents have a high re-election rate.
"Anytime someone beats an incumbent it's a feat," she said. "I knew it would take lots of door knocking, hard work and total focus. Plus I had an amazing team of supporters and volunteers."
Echoing Smith's feelings on the first victory, Dexter said she was exhausted and elated at the same time.
"It was fantastic. It was what I had worked towards for 15 months," she said. "It was very, very gratifying to have that outcome."
Dexter attributed her success to having a strong campaign plan and trying not to get distracted with negative advertisements. She added that it would've been easy to respond to every negative ad concerning her, but said that it would've ultimately pushed the campaign off its message.
One of the main things Dexter wants to focus on as she enters her first year as a state legislator is improving Assembly bipartisanship, something she said has been absent for a long time.
"Good ideas come from all over and no single party has a monopoly on them," she said. "I think the first thing we have to do is recognize the challenges ahead are enormous and daunting. We'll only make headway if we work together."
Because of her involvement on the Altoona School Board for six years, Dexter said education is a primary issue of her interest. However, because of the multitude of concerns voters have, ranging from energy costs to health care, Dexter added that sometimes passions have to be put aside.
"It's always so exciting (after the first win) and you should relish that," said Rep. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire), the winner over Republican challenger Darcy Fields 59 to 41 percent. "The second time you're looking for reassurance from voters and I think I got what I was looking for."
Joining incumbent Eau Claire-area state and national representatives Smith and Ron Kind (D-La Crosse) in victory was first-term state representative Kristen Dexter (D-Chippewa Falls), who narrowly defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Terry Moulton by a slim margin of 275 votes. Kind beat Republican Paul Stark 63 to 35 percent.
Dexter said she knew the campaign would be rough and challenging because incumbents have a high re-election rate.
"Anytime someone beats an incumbent it's a feat," she said. "I knew it would take lots of door knocking, hard work and total focus. Plus I had an amazing team of supporters and volunteers."
Echoing Smith's feelings on the first victory, Dexter said she was exhausted and elated at the same time.
"It was fantastic. It was what I had worked towards for 15 months," she said. "It was very, very gratifying to have that outcome."
Dexter attributed her success to having a strong campaign plan and trying not to get distracted with negative advertisements. She added that it would've been easy to respond to every negative ad concerning her, but said that it would've ultimately pushed the campaign off its message.
One of the main things Dexter wants to focus on as she enters her first year as a state legislator is improving Assembly bipartisanship, something she said has been absent for a long time.
"Good ideas come from all over and no single party has a monopoly on them," she said. "I think the first thing we have to do is recognize the challenges ahead are enormous and daunting. We'll only make headway if we work together."
Because of her involvement on the Altoona School Board for six years, Dexter said education is a primary issue of her interest. However, because of the multitude of concerns voters have, ranging from energy costs to health care, Dexter added that sometimes passions have to be put aside.
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