Call it a ‘youth movement’ to draft a candidate for governor. He won’t be old enough to vote in the 2010 governor’s election, but a high school student wants Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on the ballot.
“He really does care about Milwaukee and Wisconsin,” says Asher Heimermann, who will be a sophomore at Sheyboygan South High School this fall. “We believe that it Barrett runs for governor, he can really bring some change to Madison.”
With that goal in mind, Heimermann has launched a social networking effort to encourage Barrett to make a run. “Using Facebook is a good way of connecting with Wisconsinites and other people who want to get involved,” says Heimermann. “We want supporters who are not only Democrats, we also want Republicans and Independents who feel other candidates are not their choice, and who want Barrett to run or who would support Barrett if he were to run for governor.
Barrett made a run for governor in 2002, when he finished second to Jim Doyle in the Democratic primary. No word yet from Barrett on whether he’s even considering another attempt. Heimermann says his effort is entirely independent of either the state or national Democratic parties.
