The Jeffus-Rumley dilemma
We are nearing the end of our election interviews.
The last two weeks were especially busy, with Supreme Court candidate Bob Edmunds rounding a busy week Friday afternoon.
Among the more vexing choices we face for endorsement are Democrat incumbent state Rep. Maggie Jeffus and her Republican challenger, Jim Rumley.
These two candidates faced each other in the last election in District 59, which Jeffus won handily.
This is a toughie. Jeffus is a pleasant enough person and her resume is impressive. I have heard that she works hard, especially behind the scenes.
But she is underwhelming in the initiative and political courage departments.
She still expressed no regrets for not calling for the resignation of the former scandal-ridden Democratic house speaker, Jim Black, whose ethical failings were clear long before he was convicted in a court of law. She cited his entitlement to "due process," a veil many fellow Democrats chose to seek refuge behind during the Black fiasco.
For his part, Rumley, whom we endorsed in 2006, seemed less focused than then and more intent on attacking Jeffus than citing his own selling points.
The endorsement interview is not the end-all and be-all of this process. But this one obviously won't be easy.
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