H 23°, L 4° | Tomorrow: 
H 22°, L 6°Both Kathleen Falk and J.B. Van Hollen have the experience necessary to be Wisconsin's attorney general. Yet Ms. Falk's understanding of the position and her sound administrative skills make her the best choice on Election Day.
Though she has been criticized for having never prosecuted a criminal case, that is not the primary role of an attorney general — an AG has the broad responsibility of promoting the public interest. While Peg Lautenschlager's consumer advocacy has been overzealous at times, Mr. Van Hollen's interpretation of the role as strictly a law enforcement position is overly narrow and threatens to deprive Wisconsin residents of the strong voice they deserve against corporate malfeasance and federal government intrusion.
Furthermore, Ms. Falk's 14 years as assistant attorney general and her run as Dane County Executive have put her in a unique position to navigate the Department of Justice bureaucracy. This experience will aid her in addressing the challenges facing the department, such as the DNA backlog in the state crime lab, the rise in gang violence and methamphetamine use in the state.
Her emphasis on reform for our broken criminal justice system and commitment to rehabilitation to aid drug offenders is a welcome effort to relieve jail overcrowding and prevent crime at its roots.
Ms. Falk's opposition to the gay marriage ban is also in line with the views of the UW System.
If the gay marriage and civil unions ban passes, however, Ms. Falk has promised to uphold her obligation to defend state law. In this regard, Ms. Falk must be careful to avoid the grandstanding and political maneuvering that has plagued Ms. Lautenschlager's term. She must be wary to promote the best interests of Wisconsin citizens, not the Democratic party.
There is a thin line between proactively representing state interests and using the AG position as a pulpit for partisan maneuvering. We believe Ms. Falk is best prepared to navigate that divide and provide principled, disciplined leadership for the Department of Justice.
IP hash: 284c31a5
Wow, one paragraph on student issues and it is the shortest paragraph at that.
If people want a general editorial endorsement, they’ll look to the State Journal. If people want to know who can and will best serve the interests of students, they’ll look to a student newspaper.
But, alas, the Herald seems to have failed at that task here.
-Victor Blake Marx
IP hash: 53a16d92
To Victor Blake Marx:
Since when is the editorial board of the BH confined to student issues? Look at the rest of the editorials written today or any other day and you will find many not related to “student issues.” The AG’s office has almost nothing to do with “student issues,” so what is the BH board supposed to do? Not write about it? Come on! There are UW students interested in the race and most likely, are not looking at the State Journal for guidance.