Democratic women lead the way for recall effort

Vinehout, Falk lead the way "Forward" for Wisconsin

State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout made it official today, announcing that she would run against Gov. Scott Walker in the impending recall election later this year.

Of course, she will have to survive a recall primary round with her Democratic colleagues first. Thus far, only one other Democrat has formally entered the race -- former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

Though more candidates are likely to surface (Democratic as well as independent), it's encouraging to see the first two official contenders for the Democrats are both progressive women. In fact, this follows the trend from last fall's senatorial recalls, when five of the six Democratic candidates (and both of the successful challengers who won) were women.

This isn't to say that men aren't qualified to challenge Walker -- both genders are fully capable of producing sound candidates, and the idea that a man/woman can do better than the other is backwards thinking. But women are greatly underrepresented in our state, and having our first female governor come about as a result of this recall would only make the occasion that much more historic.

Regardless of who the eventual nominee may be, that two women (nay, two Kathleens!) are leading the way is a positive thing for gender equality in our state. It's one way that Wisconsin is showing it's ready to move "forward," especially after dealing with a governor who has moved us in the opposite direction in such a short period of time.