Meet the Freshman class

By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN  |  November 27, 2012

The Leslie Knope model, from the TV show Parks and Recreation, will strike some as more of a fit for city governance than state law-making. It may take some time before we get a strong sense of how she'll vote; Lovely, 54, describes herself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, by which she means that she vehemently opposes tax increases but is also pro-choice and anti-death penalty. Beyond that, she seemed generally averse to taking strong, potentially controversial positions in the campaign.

Now that she's elected, and presumably safe in the seat for as long as she wants it, we'll see if she's willing to be a little less cautious. My guess is that progressives might find her more amenable to good-government reforms than liberal policies.

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  Topics: Talking Politics , state senate, Talking Politics, mass poli
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