In politics, you’re either on-message or you’re losing. Let’s get to it.
On Message title
Welcome to On Message, a weekly look at where the battle lines are drawn and who is winning the war of words.
This week… Meet the Candidates.
Last week, we looked at the newest entrant into the 2022 U.S. Senate race. Three people have thrown their hats in the ring to challenge incumbent Mike Lee. And when you are running against an incumbent, one of the most important things you do is introduce yourself to voters.
I should mention there are three Democrats also challenging Lee but I couldn’t find an intro video, so we’ll focus here for our purposes today.
One of the few advantages a challenger has is that the public has a perception of the incumbent and fresh-faced candidates can not only put their best foot forward, they can do so while subtly (or not-so-subtly) mentioning why the current guy has to go.
Remember the old Head & Shoulders mantra:
SOT – Head and Shoulders – You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
So, let’s look at how each of the challengers has chosen to say hello.
Former State Representative Becky Edwards hasn’t rolled out the longer two-to-four-minute video introduction that is typical to launch a campaign, she’s opted for a series of 30-second spots.
SOT – Becky Edwards spot
Edwards introduces herself with friendly, warm colors, a nicely-produced spot that shows credibility and keeps using the word “better” while advocating for politics where leaders work together to find solutions.
What she’s indicating to viewers without saying it directly is that Senator Lee doesn’t do that.
Lee’s other intra-party challenger is Ally Isom, the former deputy chief of staff to Governor Gary Herbert.
Isom used her first spot to kick off a listening tour. Her opening video was less polished and more down-to-earth. She puts on red running shoes and pledges to “walk a mile” in every Utah community.
SOT – Ally Isom spot
Isom speaks out against the rancor and weaponized words associated with DC politics.
She also pledges to run “a different kind of campaign,” which was a tactic used successfully by Governor Cox last year. We’ll see if Isom can run her version of that playbook as the race heats up next year.
And Just last week, independent candidate Evan McMullin jumped in the race.
SOT – Evan McMullin
In last week’s On Message we looked at McMullin’s decision to run as an independent. His opening video includes references to his Pioneer heritage, his role in the war on terrorism and has shots of him praying with his family.
Thematically, his messaging has the same general focus as Edwards and Isom: we need to elect better leaders who will work together for the people, we need cooperation to get things done… and a general backlash to the vitriolic quagmire Washington, DC has become.
These are calculated strategies, backed by some degree of polling and focus groups, no doubt.
Successful politicians find a way to frame their principles in a way that taps into what voters are feeling. And it’s clear, these three challengers have more than a hunch that they are selling what Utah voters want.
That’s it for this week.
More On Message in the next issue of the Utah Political Underground.
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