CANDIDATE QUALITY AND VOTER PERCEPTION

By: Chazz Clevinger

Running for office is extraordinarily challenging and takes a rare and committed individual. However, it is not much different than other pursuits in life, such as applying for any other highly competitive job. Essentially, the voters of a given district are not unlike most employers. They want the most qualified applicants for public office available and ultimately they want to receive the very best political representation.

Candidates, like job applicants, tend to fall into several categories. This list is not definitive; rather it is intended simply to illustrate commonly perceived strengths and weaknesses of candidates, both real and imagined.

• The Passionate Activist (typically weak candidates)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Sincere, Sympathetic, Committed, Honest, Driven by Beliefs
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Naive, Unpolished, Unprepared, Disorganized, Indecisive, Aloof, Inexperienced, Limited Financial Resources, Less Educated.
• The Ambitious Professional (typically strong candidates)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Organized, Prepared, Polished, Focused, Moderate Financial Resources, Energetic, Highly Educated, and Well-Staffed.
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Narcissistic, Arrogant, Disingenuous, Driven by Numbers
• The Middle Aged Tycoon (candidate quality varies greatly)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Significant Financial Resources, Experience, Wisdom, Character
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Out of Touch, Cantankerous, Intransigent, Eccentric, Narrow Minded
• The Restless Retiree (candidate quality varies greatly)
  • Common Strengths:
    • Moderate Financial Resources, Full-Time Availability, Credible, Low Risk of Prolonged Incumbency, Wealth of Knowledge
  • Common Weaknesses:
    • Stuck in Past, Limited Energy, Limited Vision, Lack of Focus

Approximately 95 percent of candidates fall into one of these four categories in the minds of voters, news reporters, and political analysts — regardless of whether they admit it or not. The Athenian Philosopher Socrates instructed his students to “know thyself,” in order to more accurately assess their character, abilities, and place in the world. Candidates should also know themselves and how they are perceived by the public.

If, as a candidate, you are classified as an “Ambitious Professional” this doesn’t necessarily mean that you are narcissistic or arrogant. You could be a local attorney or banker renown for your gentile spirit and humility. Politics is an art, not an exact science, and as such it cannot account for the various factors that comprise your individual candidacy. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to be an articulate, educated, and polished “Passionate Activist.” In fact, successful North Carolina Congresswoman Renee Elmers is a great example. She was a “Passionate Activist,” who bucked the trend, and was ultimately a very successful candidate.

Ultimately, the key is to know your own strengths, your weaknesses, and be able to honestly assess yourself in terms of how you are perceived by voters. If you are intelligent, but appear rigid or out of touch, then find ways to show voters that you can relate to them on their level, and that you are not as sanctimonious as you may seem. Hiring an experienced general consultant to evaluate your various qualities as a candidate can help bring to light problems that are hard to address on one’s own.

Most candidates can easily identify their strengths. It is their weaknesses that are the problem. Many otherwise solid candidates, who could have won, have sabotaged themselves because they were too stubborn, arrogant, or self-consumed to admit their flaws. Voters may often be severely apathetic, but that does not make them gullible. They will judge you according to their own perceptions of your candidacy. Therefore, your job as a candidate is to ensure that a majority of likely voters perceive you favorably.

Remember, that in most voting districts – except those that are culturally and racially homogeneous or gerrymandered – 70-80% of votes each cycle are spoken for as a result of the two party system. 30-45% will vote for the Democratic candidate and 30-45% will vote for the Republican. This generally leaves about 20% of the vote up to independent, unaffiliated, and swing voters. This is your target audience. These voters are typically looking beyond your party affiliation and rhetoric to assess to your credibility, character, reputation, and sincerity. They are also analyzing your record of leadership, community involvement, and policy positions on key issues to see if you are the “real deal” or just another smooth talking charlatan.

Therefore, it is essential to know how these “swing voters” think and what motivates them to vote for or against your candidacy. Choosing to ignore your weaknesses will only damage your odds of winning, because as much as you might deny them; voters will not afford you this same luxury. They will assume the worst, unless you give them good reason to believe otherwise.

With this in mind, take great pains to ensure your image, reputation, credibility, and integrity – both real and perceived – remains untarnished throughout the course of your political career, and especially during campaign season. In politics, perception is reality. Therefore, work hard to ensure you are perceived positively at all times, and that you are deemed to be a candidate of the highest quality by prospective voters.

http://coastalpolitical.com/news-articles/candidate-quality-and-voter-perception/