It has been estimated that during elections Mickey Mouse, and other frivolous characters, receive around 20,000 votes for some office or another. Why does this happen? This may go without saying, but for voters to know who they are voting for candidates must advertise their name to the public. Furthermore, candidates will modify their campaigns to accommodate the political views of the residents in their district.
In the House race for Minnesota's third district communication to voters is especially important to the challenger, Democratic candidate Jim Meffert. Meffert is going up against incumbent candidate Republican Erik Paulsen who has already held the seat for the past two years after winning the election in 2008. Because Meffert and Paulsen are not competing for an open House seat, this is not a very competitive race. Forecast polls indicate Paulsen having a significant lead on Meffert. Paulsen has a clear advantage over Meffert being the incumbent. Meffert, however, has failed to put together a strong campaign against Paulsen which will subsequently cause him to lose the House race.
As mentioned in a previous post, Meffert has raised significantly less money than Paulsen. As a result, Meffert has not been able to afford television ads. This makes it quite difficult for Meffert to obtain any name recognition or for the people of the third district to get to know his political ideals. Meffert weak campaign will also make it difficult if he wishes to run for an office in the future.
Since 1776, when the United States officially became a country, various minority groups have fought for the right to vote. Out of respect for those that put themselves at risk so that individuals like me can have the opportunity to vote, every eligible US citizen should do so. We should not, however, enter the voting booth being politically naïve. As November 2nd nears it is imperative that voters are familiar with where candidates stand on political issues. The candidates of Minnesota's third district, as expected, have taken positions that reflect the platform of the political parties that endorses them.
Based on his voting record and public statements, the positions that Republican incumbent, Erik Paulsen, can be inferred to follow a strong Republican ideology. For instance, Paulsen is considered to be a pro-life advocate on abortion issues. Paulsen does not support the use of government funds to stimulate the economy or a publicly-administered health insurance program. In addition, Paulsen is a supporter of military action in Afghanistan.
Contrasting with the Republican candidate, Jim Meffert, the DFL candidate follows a Democratic ideology. In opposition to Paulsen, Meffert is pro-choice when it comes to abortion practices and is in support of using government funds to improve the national economy, as well as implementing regulations on energy usage. He also supports the Obama health care option as well as same-sex marriage.
Regardless of one's political views, voters should have an idea of the political views of the candidates that they vote for. Not only will this help to advance the individual's political ideals, but it will help the political ignorance of today's American citizens.
What is red and sticky and shows up around that same time in November every couple years? The ever fashionable "I Voted" sticker of course! Each time a person casts a ballot he or she is presented with a sticker to proclaim taking advantage of Constitutional suffrage. Elections would cease to exist if nobody voted. So, how do people decide who to vote for anyways? In Minnesota's third district party identification plays a large part in how people vote.
Demographics in the third district are quite partial. Over eighty percent of the district's residences are white and over twenty-five percent make between $100,000 and $200,000 a year. According to these statistics it is not surprising that a Republican has held the Congressional seat since 1961. The New York Times Race Rating expects a "solid Republican" win along with the FiveThirtyEight Model predicting a 100 percent chance of Paulsen taking the Congressional seat once again1.
These statistics also play a large role in a candidate's political ideology. Candidates are most responsive to the concerns of the people who are voting. In this particular district, where people are wealthier and predominantly white, candidates will have a better chance if they follow a more Republican ideological platform.
These facts are once again supportive of the strong lead Paulsen has over Meffert in the polls.
Media these days can be characterized in numerous forms, from the old fashioned newspaper ads to the contemporary television commercials. But with the development of the internet political campaigns have created a media frenzy. Not only do candidates have their own personal campaign websites, but blogs (ironically), videos, and forums on the internet have communicated other opinions.
The candidates for Minnesota's third congressional district, Erik Paulsen (R) and Jim Meffert (D), have both established their own campaign websites. Information on the websites includes the general political platforms of the candidates comprising ways in which they can better Congress. Links to articles and videos supporting the candidate are also scattered about on both websites. Naturally, political campaign websites are squeaky clean, using layman's terms and highlighting every possible virtuous aspect of a candidate. Websites are an easy, affordable way for candidates to convey their political message while increasing name recognition.
However, Paulsen and Meffert are not so equal when it comes to television ads. Because of Meffert's low budget, he has not been able to afford television ads, while Paulsen has invested roughly one million dollars in television ads, as stated by an article in the Minneapolis newspaper, the Star Tribune. In addition, a Twin Cities' local news station ran a news reel about this topic stating that because Meffert is new to the political realm he has yet to compete in the "TV ad wars". While Paulsen is shelling out thousands after thousands of dollars, Meffert is remaining economical and abstaining from the demise of a negative campaign.
Without the means to run a television ad campaign, Meffert has lesser of a chance to increase his name recognition. On the other hand, perhaps Meffert's lack of television campaign ads is not such a weakness, but rather a mindful tactic.
