Well, I was actually the one who spoke up for Latas in our editorial board meeting, and we discussed him a bit. What it came down to for me (I can't speak for the rest of the board here) was this: Jeff Latas seems to be in the right place on the issues, and his professional credentials are impressive. However, he has not held public office before; he has not even run for office before. Therefore, he has no voting record.
Meanwhile, Gabrielle Giffords has run for office before; she paid her dues, and compiled a voting record--and it's a pretty good voting record at that. I like where she stands, for the most part, on women's rights, LGBT rights and environmental issues, for example. It was because of her record and experience that I ended up supporting her in the editorial board. It was because Latas was sorely lacking in these areas that he did not get my support.
I hope this is not Jeff Latas' only political foray. I'd love to see him run for a lower-tier office, such as a legislative seat, so he can pay his dues, and compile a record. While I can't promise anything, he'd certainly be a candidate we'd strongly consider supporting in a lower-tier race.
Anyway, look for those pro-Latas letters in next week's issue. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week's issue.
