Plenty of Horne: REP. MASON HAS FRANK WORDS FOR MILWAUKEE DEMS

FRANK TALK FOR DEMS AT FUNDRAISER

Rep. Cory Mason in Milwaukee

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Larson's Quest Continues as Marathoner Runs Hard Against Empty Suit

Special to the Readers of Plenty of Horne

By Michael Horne

And The Plenty of Horne Hound Dog Team

NOW WITH PHOTOS!

Rep. Cory Mason and his host, Ray Vahey

A handful of democrats, including such elected officials as Rep. John Richards, Rep. Barbara Toles and state senate candidate Supervisor Chris Larson held a fundraiser Monday, October 4th 2020 in support of the re-election efforts of Racine Rep. Cory Mason.

The event took place at the Astor Hotel residence of the genial Ray Vahey, who provided his guests with a buffet of sandwiches, brownies, wine and punch in a gracious and elegant setting enhanced by considerable artwork by Milwaukeean George Raab.

Among the attendees were such dignitaries as Charlie Dee and Michael Rosen, joined by JoCasta Zamarripa, the 8th Assembly District candidate who hopes to replace Rep. Pedro Colon in Madison while he gets fitted for his judicial robes.

Before this starts reading like a Boris and Doris column, let it be noted that Mason delivered some insightful remarks about his trips on the campaign trail. He used many of the usual terms -- this is retail politics, we need to do doors, he could use another $15,000 to get out more literature -- and gave some suggestions to other candidates about how to deal with potential voters face-to-face.

Racine has an unemployment rate of 17%, Mason said. While that may be a good thing, since it increases the chance that folks are at home when he calls, Mason said, "I have learned that this is not a time to talk about my legislative accomplishments." The voters don't want to hear it. Instead, Mason suggests candidates talk to voters about their concerns -- and be prepared to hear an earful.
Also, expect Democrats to encourage early voting, which began in Wisconsin that very day.

Larson, 29, is facing an empty suit in his race to replace Sen. Jeff Plale, whom he defeated in the September primary. The opposition is Jess Ripp, 27, who, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "says his legal and real estate work is on hiatus while he puts in 50 to 60 hours a week on his campaign."

It's hard to say what Ripp's legal work is, since there is no record of him ever having a case in the Circuit Court system of the State of Wisconsin. As far as real estate, he doesn't even own his own residence -- a luxury condominium in the prestigious Cudahy, 777 N. Prospect Avenue. (The condo is listed in the name of a family LLC.)
Larson, who lives in an actual house in Bay View that he owns, was not aware that the south half of the Cudahy Tower was condo. (The tower is apartments, and is still owned by Michael Cudahy.)

Although Democrats have held Plale's 7th Senate District for years, Larson has been a trailblazing candidate in many respects. He is not taking his candidacy for granted in this crazy election year, despite a weak opponent. In fact, Larson's facebook prowess and organizational skills may lead to an interesting situation in November -- Tom Barrett may get a benefit from Larson's coat tails, since he appears to have connected with many new voters.

That, Mason told the audience, may be the key to Democratic party strategy for victory. Get the youth vote. Mason used as an example polling numbers that indicate such Republican issues as anti-gay marriage are "no-starters for voters under 30. They just do not see an issue with gay rights."

Comforting words of hope for the host, Ray Vahey, who testified against the gay marriage amendment with his partner, the late Richard Taylor.

PHOTO GALLERY