Political party alternative founder, could run against Gov. Walker as Democrat

Mike McCabe knows it’s futile to run as an independent.

While Wisconsin Republicans exit their state convention last weekend feeling pretty good about their candidate for governor, Democrats seem to be reeling.

So far, the best shot for the party to take on Gov. Scott Walker is a guy who’s never been in a political party.

“I don’t belong to a political party and that makes me a pretty unconventional candidate,” Mike McCabe said.

One of the founding members and longtime leader of the watchdog group, Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, McCabe is more recently the founder of Blue Jean Nation, which was created as a big party alternative.

And it’s an alternative that may be just what people are looking for.

“What people are looking for is somebody who’s willing to crash a party, and willing to really run as an independent but within a party primary,” McCabe told WIZM.

Party affiliation or not, the Stanford graduate suggests he will skip the pointless run as an independent for governor and take on Walker as a Democrat instead.  

“I am well aware of what has happened in the past with candidates who have tried to run as independent or third-party candidates,” McCabe said. “We have a two party system.”

McCabe also admits, through it all, he never aspired to be in a political party or even run for office.

“I have never followed the traditional path to get to this point,” he said. “I was never planning to be at this point.”

McCabe has just recently said he’s “willing” to run against Walker. An official campaign is likely to be launched after Labor Day.