“Successful candidates craft a message with broad appeal, set the political agendas that defines voters, and get their supporters to the polls on election day” (Herrnson 156). Candidates need to know their voters in order to create a successful campaign strategy. This includes knowing what motivates people to vote and what influences them to vote the way they do. There are three major assumptions that candidates make about voters before formulating a campaign strategy; first, the majority of voters do not know much about the candidates or what they support; second, voters are more likely to vote for the candidate whose name they recognize; and third, voters have a tendency to vote for those affiliated with their political parties (Herrnson 160). Taking these factors into account, candidates need to focus on their targeting, communications, and messaging.
When campaigning, candidates know that they do not have a chance at reaching all of the voters so instead they target specific groups. Candidates target the possible voters then determine their political preferences, and based on this information they attempt to formulate the best plan of action to reach these groups. Many factors come in to play when creating a strategy but the one that will be the most significant in the race between Democrat Rosa DeLauro and Jerry Labriola will be candidate loyalty and party affiliation. The residents of the third district of Connecticut have been very loyal to incumbent Rosa DeLauro in previous elections (she has never won by less than sixty-six percent of the vote) as well as the Democratic Party. As the unfavorable challenger, Jerry Labriola needs to focus on not only getting vote from the few Republican Party loyalists but also he needs to target supporters from members of the Democratic party as well.
Communication with the voters is very crucial for the candidates. Through outlets such as television, newspaper, direct-mail, and radio advertisements, candidates are able to increase name recognition, attack the credibility of their opponents, and defend themselves from their opponents. Today, candidates are using computerized social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube to reach the younger voters. Both Rosa DeLauro and Jerry Labriola can be found using at least one of these networking sites.
Throughout the campaign it is important for candidates to create a message about themselves that “gives substance to a campaign and helps to shape the political agenda, mobilize backers, and win votes” (Herrnson 168). Rosa DeLauro's message includes her affiliation with the Democratic Party, “fighting for people” slogan, her twenty year reign, and her leadership positions as co-chair of the House Steering and Policy Committee, and chairs the Appropriations Agriculture Subcommittee. Jerry Labriola's message on the other hand down plays his affiliation with the Republican Party, exalts his slogan calling for the retirement of Rosa DeLauro (“20 Years is Enough”), and calls for the end of big government spending. DeLauro and Labriola are going do whatever they can to create a campaign strategy that will reach the voters.
No comments:
Post a Comment