Whose Seat Is It?

We have more than ten people running in the primary for Lynn Woolsey's congressional seat. Lynn Woolsey, a dedicated progressive, is retiring. Under our new system, Democrats and Republicans run in the same primary, and the top two vote getters run in the final election. At the moment it seems likely that both finalists will be Democrats. But which Democrats?

I always rooted for Woolsey, who was sometimes challenged in primaries by Clinton Democrats (and the local Corporate Democrat newspaper). I supported Woolsey because she was a good human being and had strong progressive views. Now two of the leading candidates are claiming they should win the nomination because it is "a woman's seat" and they are women. That doesn't sound progressive to me. Surely every congressional seat is a woman's seat and a man's seat. I agree that women are greatly underrepresented in the House of Representatives, but I support the most progressive candidate who has a chance to win. That is Norman Solomon, a nationally known critic of our media and a familiar speaker and film maker.