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While we prioritize coverage of elections and governance across our county, region and state -- under the principle that local representation is better suited to steer the direction of communities and under the belief that reporting on municipal or local government is an essential part of preserving the diversity and autonomy of American communities -- our recent election reached from coast to coast -- and generated some headlines around the country we feel moved to comment on.
In Michigan, a congresswoman who lost the state's Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate nomination ultimately chose to endorse the Republican nominee for the position.
We were disappointed by the level and tone of vitriol and hatefulness directed at U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens after her endorsement. We believe civility fosters the ability of Americans -- in elected office and voters alike -- to reach compromise and have faith that the system of government we practice is fair and serves the interests of all -- no matter the specifics of each voter's ideology.
But the loss of civility was even more apparent in neighboring Ohio.
Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's gubernatorial campaign produced an ad in which the Democratic nominee's estranged mother called her a "liar."
Accusations of dishonesty are par for the course in politics. We do not believe they automatically are uncivil or out of bounds.
But it was well-documented years ago that the estranged mother's husband was charged with serious, violent crimes against his step-daughter, now the Democratic nominee -- charges he and the estranged mother chose to flee rather than face.
Accusations of dishonesty, again, are not inherently uncivil -- but trafficking the viewpoint of someone who could be described as a violent criminal's accomplice in evading conviction as though it were credible and as if resurrecting your opponent's pain in suffering violent assaults as if it were not a callous decision, in our view, is a full-throated rejection of civility.
We sincerely hope future elections will rediscover the importance of civility. The public's faith in the credibility of our government and its processes may depend on it.