Free Republic

SUPERIOR, Wis. ― It was a little early for a drink, but that wasn’t going to stop Mahlon Mitchell. It was a Saturday at 11:30 a.m. in Superior, a port city of 30,000 in Wisconsin’s far northwest corner. Mitchell, the leader of the Professional Firefighters of Wisconsin and a Democratic candidate for governor, had just finished touring the city with fellow firefighters and was about to kick off an economic roundtable with other union members. But first, he was perusing the beer list at Thirsty Pagan Brewing. Why? “I can run faster and jump higher than the other candidates,” he...

Following his defeat to Democrat John Bel Edwards in Saturday's Louisiana gubernatorial election, GOP Sen. David Vitter announced that he will retire from the Senate next year, ensuring another busy year of campaigning in a state with no shortage of ambitious politicians. Vitter's exit will set up an open-seat race in 2016, and the Republican side of the field is chock-full of potential candidates: GOP Reps. Charles Boustany and John Fleming, state Treasurer John Kennedy, retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle could all make bids. The Democratic picture is less clear: New Orleans Mayor...