Of all the Democratic near-misses in the 2006 midterm elections, Gary Trauner's was among the most heartbreaking. Trauner was one of the season's hardest-working candidates, knocking on nearly 20,000 doors across vast Wyoming. He lost his bid for the state's lone congressional seat by a mere 1,012 votes out of nearly 200,000 cast, statistically tying incumbent Barbara Cubin with 48% each. (A Libertarian candidate netted 4% of the vote.) Yet instead of being bitter over his razor-thin defeat, Trauner is calling for increased bipartisanship:
Personal attacks and blind party allegiance are poisoning our
discourse and closing the door on real solutions to difficult issues. This has real consequences for those of us in the West who are
looking to government to act as a true partner in dealing with
difficult, emotional and seemingly intractable issues: health care,
energy development, or balancing growth with our natural wonders.
Regionally, we are moving to pragmatic leaders who value substance over
slogan, people over party. Leaders like Dave Freudenthal in Wyoming,
Brian Schweitzer in Montana and, yes, even Arnold Schwarzenegger in
California (okay, at least in his second term). These leaders are not
about personal attacks or cheap slogans like “Cut and run,” “stay the
course,” or “socialized medicine.” They are more interested in looking
for serious solutions to complex issues.
Read more here.