Why did Lynn Compton lose? She’s not talking, and those who are have no good explanation

Sometimes, you learn more about a candidate after the votes are counted.

Take Supervisor-elect Jimmy Paulding, for example.

After enduring every kind of insult during the campaign — he was called a liar, a cheat and a tool of special interests — he still had enough class and courtesy to acknowledge his opponent, Supervisor Lynn Compton, for her service to the county.

“While she and I disagree on many issues, I know she worked hard to do what she thought was best for District 4. I respect her willingness to serve these past eight years, and I wish her well,” he wrote in a message to his supporters.

Meanwhile, Compton has maintained radio silence.

She has not reached out to Paulding to congratulate him on his win.

She’s been dodging The Tribune’s post-election questions, which isn’t exactly a surprise; that’s been her MO over much of the nearly eight years she’s been in office.

And she hasn’t posted on her public Facebook page since election day.

Stacy Korsgaden, on the other hand, offered this message: “To all of my family, friends, and members of the community, the votes have been counted and my congratulations go out to Dawn Ortiz-Legg,” she posted on Facebook.

Good on you, Stacy.

Sure, it may sound hypocritical to call your opponent all sorts of nasty names one day and then turn around and congratulate them the next.

But a congratulatory message means something in politics; it’s an opportunity to hit reset and put the belligerence of the campaign behind.

This letter to the editor of the Dubois County, Indiana, Free Press eloquently points that out:

“Congratulation from loser to winner reflects acceptance of (the) choice of candidate by the people. Congratulations reflects the willingness of the loser to work with the winner to seek dialogue, consensus and unity in the path forward. Conversely, victory in a democracy is not a crowning. Victory in an election is a chance to do better for the people. Victory is a chance to make a path for all people instead of a few.”

That “acceptance of choice” is even more important in this fraught political climate, when the far-right’s default reaction to an election loss is to blame the system.

It’s the fault of the crooked Dominion voting machines or incompetent election workers or illegal ballot “harvesting” or mail-in ballots tossed in a dumpster.

These are the types of lies told by people who can’t handle the simple truth: The majority of voters preferred the other candidate.

In this case, voters in District 3 and 4 made their choices clear; the District 2 race will go to a November runoff.

We reached out to Republican Party Chair Randall Jordan for comment but got no response.

County Supervisor John Peschong, meanwhile, has speculated that Paulding won out over Compton because he spent more on his campaign.

Mike Brown, government affairs director for COLAB of SLO County, blames low voter turnout.

“The voter registration data suggests that Republicans failed to turn out in large enough numbers,” he wrote in COLAB’s weekly report. “For example, in District 4 Lynn Compton received 10,090 votes. The registration table ... indicates that there are 15,689 eligible Republicans versus 13,776 Democrats.”

Silence, excuses and scapegoating, none of which take responsibility for the result of this election.

Here’s another theory: Voters were turned off by Compton’s performance in office. Maybe they also were turned off by her negative campaigning.

It’s fair to say that, if 4th District residents were satisfied with Compton’s eight-year tenure on the board, they wouldn’t have been swayed by some extra Paulding mailers or yard signs. And they would have made it a point to fill out a ballot and deliver it to be counted.

Whatever their reasons, the voters have spoken.

We can only hope that Compton, who has nearly six months left in her term, will treat her remaining time in office with the commitment of a politician who knows that it’s the work — not the person — that ultimately matters most to the people she represents.

This story was originally published July 8, 2022 at 6:00 AM.