Incumbents typically enjoy victory in congressional races, as it is very difficult for challengers to get their name out there and convince people to vote for them. The key for challengers to create a competitive election is by making voters aware of their virtues, while proving that the incumbent has serious shortcomings. However, this can only be achieved if the challenger has the campaign finances to get their name and message out there. In Arizona’s First District, Republican challenger Paul Gosar has been successful at raising money for his campaign, and is using it to bolster support for himself, while turning the tide against incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick.
In The Politics of Congressional Elections, Gary Jacobson stresses how difficult it is for challengers to succeed in congressional elections. Incumbents have the major advantage of name recognition, which is crucial in elections where voters typically do not know too much about the actual policies of the candidates. Jacobson mentions how incumbents do not lose elections by failing to garner support based on general performance. They lose when challengers are able to successfully project of positive image of themselves, and persuade voters that the incumbent is a liability. Gosar has successfully done this by appealing to the conservative district with his Republican rhetoric, and by deriding Kirkpatrick as a loyalist to the "socialist" policy initiatives of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi. Gosar has come very far in a district that was "leaning Democrat" in early September, as The Hill, a Washington D.C. newspaper, recently released a poll that gave Gosar a 46 percent to 39 percent lead.
Jacobson stresses how important campaign fundraising and spending is for challengers to spread their name, and Gosar has done just this. According to a Politico.com article, Gosar is in line to receive a combined $1 million from the "60 Plus Association" and "Americans for Prosperity". This donation is a tremendous boost for Gosar, as he is taking away the financial edge that incumbents usually enjoy away from Kirkpatrick. Gosar will now be able to significantly increase ad campaigns down the stretch, and reach as many potential voters as possible throughout the next few weeks leading up to Election Day.
I cannot believe that Gosar has been able to get ahead by deceiving people into believing Obama is a socialist. He is one of the biggest supporters of big businesses. Despite popular belief Obama's health care plan actual supports big business. People need to stop listening to the lies put out by politicians and start doing their own research. I’m not going to lie I too have deceived by the media and politicians but I also know that it is time to make a change. No one should be able to get into office by spreading lies.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Gosar is sufficiently brainwashing his district. I think it's irresponsible for politicians to be able to have this much money and spend them on campaigns, they never say anything meaningful they know they will win by who has the most face time.
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