Kraft on local races: Perception, incumbency may discourage candidacy

A lack of interest in local political races may stem from the perception that such offices are not worth holding, UW-Green Bay’s Michael Kraft told the Green Bay Press-Gazette for a front-page story that ran Sunday (Jan. 8). The political system also favors incumbents, Kraft said, and when those individuals do well, it discourages competition. Kraft’s comments were part of a larger story on the local spring election, in which the Press-Gazette’s Doug Schneider reported only 32 of 68 local races are contested — this in spite of a record level of interest in state politics during the past year. Read more.