In politics, you’re either on-message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… Political Endorsements.
Election Day is November 2nd and most Utahns already have their ballots in hand – unless they’re the go-getters who have already mailed theirs in.
(Campaigns love early voters because, once you’ve voted, they can stop targeting you and use resources on other voters.)
As we head down the stretch and candidates are expressing optimism no matter where they actually sit in the race and we’re seeing campaigns pull out all the stops.
In municipal elections, the old school tactics can make a much bigger difference than in the big years. Winning the yard sign wars actually matters and those few mailers you get in a small town mayoral or city council race can make a big difference.
‘Tis also the season for political endorsements and one, in particular, caught my attention recently.
I was sitting in my office, working away on my computer when my phone dinged and I had the only direct, digital contact I’ve received during the Kaysville mayoral race.
It came form candidate Jay Welk, the former Davis High basketball coach, and athletic director who now oversees Career and Technical Education for the district.
But this was no run-of-the-mill “Vote for Me” text… this one featured a celebrity endorsement from…
Well, if I gave you 100 guesses you’d never get it.
It was John Ratzenburger.
Depending on your age, you either know Ratzenburger as Cliff Claven, the mailman from Cheers, or the voice of at least one character in all the Pixar movies. He’s Hamm in Toy Story.
Ratzenburger doesn’t live in Kaysville but that doesn’t really matter – at least not for the purpose of our discussion. The skills gap is an issue he cares about and he’s supporting a candidate who knows the value of Career and Technical Education. He even penned an op-ed for the Deseret News about it.
I mentioned that small things can make a big difference in a political campaign, and that’s especially true in a small race where fewer ballots will be cast. There were somewhere around seven-thousand votes cast in Kaysville’s 2017 mayoral race, a town with around 30-thousand residents. The margin of victory was just under 500 votes.
So, standing out in any positive way can make a big difference.
If all voters remember is that Welk is “the Cliff Claven candidate,” and those voters have a positive impression of him, that just may be enough to make the difference.
To be clear, I don’t think the same rule applies in more high-profile races. When running for governor or the U.S. Senate, for example, there are few celebrity endorsements that will move the needle enough to impact the final tally.
On the other hand, gaining and promoting support of groups that come with a membership base that will support you is helpful – if they can really deliver the votes. Stacking up those endorsements can give you some early legitimacy and if their supporters become volunteers or online like-and-share champions, that’s a big win, as well.
And these days, finding the micro-influencers can also be a big advantage. Who has a social media following that will listen to them and kick votes your way? It’s tricky, but if you find the right influencer with the right audience, it can be a valuable connection to make.
Whether John Ratzenburger’s endorsement is enough to tip the scales in Utah’s Hometown… we’ll find out in just a few days.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground.
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