Dave Boliek's actual 2028 problem

The early voting dust-up will fade. The perception that Boliek is the 'legislature’s guy' is the harder problem.

I honestly don’t think this whole thing about State Auditor Dave Boliek and the Jackson County early voting plan is that big a deal. Not in the grand scheme of things, anyway.

It’s too messy, too hard to explain, and even in a worst-case scenario, not all that scandalous to begin with.

But did it actually do “big damage” to Boliek’s chances of getting elected governor in 2028? That’s the provocative claim in a newspaper op-ed today that caught my eye. You can read it here with a gift link.

I think the answer is yes, but not directly. And not for the reasons the column lays out.

To start off, I think Boliek is doing a fantastic job and has really breathed life into the state auditor’s office. He’s made the office useful and relevant in a way it hasn’t been in awhile. The rapid-response audits have been a particularly valuable tool, and actually delivering on a major audit of the DMV within the first year is a big deal.

However, Boliek has always had the perception of being the “legislature…