Wheeler and Leishman for State Representative
Peterborough and Sharon voters should re-elect Jonah Wheeler and Peter Leishman to the state House of Representatives and not fall for Amanda Allen’s write-in campaign.
Allen’s supporters criticize Wheeler’s votes against gun control and vaccine mandates but it’s clear his transgender-related votes are what set them off.
They talk as if their position on transgender issues is the only valid one for Democrats. Well, the left wing of my local Democratic Party does not speak for me on these issues and, I suspect, many other Democrats.
I have serious reservations about gender-affirming care for minors and, to a lesser degree, transgender women playing on women’s sports teams. Activists act like the only people who matter are minors convinced they are in the wrong body and might become suicidal if they don’t get medical treatment. They seem to dismiss de-transitioners’ regret over a life-altering mistake.
Allen, a capable candidate who narrowly lost the primary after an impressive campaign, is apparently so determined to unseat Wheeler that she took the unusual step of continuing through the general election. Her supporters should redirect their organizing to goals most Democrats support, such as reproductive freedom and publicly funded healthcare, or try to win the 2028 primary.
I don’t know that Wheeler voted how I would have on bills related to bathrooms segregated by sex. I believe in vaccine mandates, especially in emergencies like COVID, and think more gun control is needed but empathize with people worried about losing their rights.
I don’t need Wheeler to agree on every issue and would rather be in dialogue with him than run him out of office and the Democratic Party like Allen’s supporters. Despite their claim that he doesn’t represent his constituents, Wheeler represents this constituent just fine.