Iowa City Special Election: The Morning After

I have been involved on various levels with politics for much of my adult life and I have to say, the aftermath of yesterday's special election reminds me that reasonable, well-intentioned people are why the winner/loser mentality of politics is hard. With barely a month to have their issues heard, five candidates who were well-qualified were narrowed to two finalists by less than 9% of the eligible voters casting votes. Nonetheless, to Ryan Hall, Christine Ralston, and Brianna Wills, congratulations on running on your core values and organizing good campaigns. In some way, your work is not done as you will likely be asked for support by the other two campaigns and will want to keep pushing your issues with those who agree with you. I am hopeful that you will stay engaged in community efforts and run again in 2019.

To Ann Freerks and Bruce Teague, kudos to you both (and your stellar campaign teams) for having your voice heard and affirmed by those who took the time to vote. Now, it is a matter of who will be able to convince the most others to join you and to support your candidacy in the October 2nd election. With less than three hundred votes separating you on election night, it is clear that this will be a very competitive election. In the coming days, I will dissect the differences in stances of these candidates, but for today, wish them the best in this sprint to the finish line--and then to work.