When I found out that Mitt Romney had named Paul Ryan as his running mate, my first thought was to find out who was running against Ryan in WI-01. It turns out his Democratic opponent, Rob Zerban, is as solid a challenger as I've seen. I was particularly elated, since for reasons I can't fathom, we haven't really put up a strong candidate in this district in ages. After all, this seat is incredibly swingy--it was R+1 before redistricting, and is R+2 now. And yet, it's held by a guy with a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 91. Simply put, Ryan is way, way too conservative for this district. And yet, we haven't laid a glove on him--he's never dropped below 56 percent of the vote.
But with Ryan as part of America's Rollback Team, voters in this district have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--they have a chance to vote against Ryan twice, and in so doing ensure that he doesn't have a job anywhere in Washington in 2013. However, this district takes in a good chunk of the incredibly expensive Milwaukee market, and Zerban's going to need a ton of help to make his case.
That's why I'm starting a money bomb for Zerban. I'm hoping to put at least $10,000 in his bank account in order to help him make the case that Ryan needs to be back in Janesville this time next year, not in the Capitol or the White House. Click here to donate.