When I was six, my father took me with him on election day, down the street to the school where he voted. They had a small sample machine with the little clackety wooden levers for voters to practice on, so I got to "vote." My father taught me never, ever to vote the straight ticket lever -- that it was important to make a decision on each candidate, not let the party bosses do it for you. (My father was so left-wing that he lost his job during the McCarthy era.)
So I just filled out my mail-in ballot, and thought about each race. And I ended up voting for a Republican, for Lt. Governor. Why? Follow me below the nonpartisan squiggle.
This is a race that even the Providence Journal described as "no politics as usual."
The (nominal) Democrat, Dan McKee, is currently mayor of Cumberland (where? Cumberland, a "city" of 35,000 tucked in the NE corner of RI next to North Attleboro, MA). He's pro-business, and a big-time promoter of charter schools, with big support from 50CAN Action Fund. His big campaign issue (a reasonable one, actually, but not as high priority as, say, jobs that pay a living wage) is to regionalize or consolidate many of the services currently provided by 39 different municipalities, and in some cases even smaller fire or water districts. In the primary he defeated both the current Secretary of State (meh) and a marriage equality activist, Frank Ferri.
The Republican, Catherine Taylor, on the other hand, is so liberal that she won the endorsement of the RI AFL-CIO, the NEA, and Local 1199 SEIU. She's been head of elderly affairs for the state, and gotten good marks. Unlike the party's candidate for governor, Allan Fung, she opposes "right to work" legislation (which is threatened, thanks to ALEC-affiliated Democratic legislators). So she got my vote.
I also have to say it was a bright moment to vote for competent women for Governor, Lt. Gov., and Secretary of State, all on the same ballot.
Apologies to all who think this site is only about electing Democrats -- yes, but not all Democrats deserve that support, if they act like Republicans. I think my father would approve.