William McKinley’s political manager, Mark Hanna, is famed for having said, “define yourself and your opponent before they do.” Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984; George H.W. Bush in 1988; George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 and Donald Trump in 2016 all won because they followed that political logic. Elections are decided by how a candidate defines not only their opponent but themselves. The political roadside is covered with politicians who failed in this.
One of the many reasons that Democrats are winning early voting and often the election itself is that they are perfecting that concept. We have seen this play out to the detriment of Republicans in a series of Senate elections.
In Georgia in 2020, Democrat Raphael Warnock was largely unknown to most Georgians when he ran for the Senate. If they knew anything about him, it was that he was the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church (Martin Luther King’s church). Democrats and Warnock set off to change this. The day after the general election with his Senate race now in a runoff, Warnock was already on the airwaves with soft feel-good commercials introducing himself to voters. The advertisements were masterful. Who could fail to dislike the amicable Reverend walking the sidewalks with a beagle (a rented beagle it was later found out). Or be inspired by his life story (as told by his consultants). At the same time the campaign savaged incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler as an out of touch mega millionaire.
Loeffler and Republicans were nowhere to be seen on television for two weeks. This was largely because Warnock and Democrats were targeting early voters. They were skillfully defining both Warnock and Loeffler so that his favorable numbers soared while hers tanked. Loeffler and Republicans tried to define Warnock with his extreme radical positions and abuse with his ex-wife, but it was too late as he had been so skillful in defining himself as a kindly citizen politician. Voters could either believe the image they saw of Warnock and the beagle or the facts. They opted for the image. Plus, Loeffler waited too long to tell her rags to riches story.
Fast forward to the 2022 Senate election in Georgia. Warnock faced University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker. The political atmosphere favored Republicans, especially with a strong Republican ticket headed by Governor Brian Kemp. Plus, Warnock now had a Senate record to defend of backing the unpopular Joe Biden.
Warnock and Democrats took out the old playbook from 2020 (they even brought back the beagle). This time playing on Walker’s athletic prowess, they ran commercials of the friendly Warnock on the track and football field, conceding he would never be the one you wanted on the field but the one you wanted in Washington. They savaged Walker in a brutal campaign. Again, they were targeting early voters. Walker remained silent. This was in sharp contrast to Republican Governor Kemp who did early advertising. The result was Warnock won in early voting in a landslide pushing the Senate race into another runoff (while Kemp stayed competitive in early voting and won handily with Election Day voting, avoiding a runoff).
In the runoff, Warnock again deployed the Democratic strategy. Walker was silent on the airwaves and only in the closing days ran ads that told his story with legendary Georgia Coach Vince Dooley. Again, Democrats won early voting handily and the election even, as Walker was winning the Election Day voting, although by a smaller margin than expected. Exit polling showed that even among Republicans who voted against him, Warnock was liked more than Walker.
This story played out in many of the Senate races Republicans thought they would win in 2022. Just ask Blake Masters, Adam Laxalt, Don Bolduc and Dr. Oz. One exception was Wisconsin where Republican Ron Johnson turned the Democratic playbook against his opponent winning reelection to a third term. If Republicans are to win critical elections, they must go on the offense right away in defining themselves and their opponents. This is branding 101. A first impression can never be erased. Either you present it to voters or the Democrats will. This is essential with early voting here to stay.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: New Customs Data Reveals How China is Aiding Russia
Makes sense.
I’ll admit up front I couldn’t wade thru the entire article. It sounded too much like it was conflating early voting with vote harvesting and/or ballot box stuffing.
True early voting REQUIRES the voter to meet the same standards as same day voting. It allows that voter to cast their ballot at a time of their choosing. I managed to cast my vote last November when there was NO line for me to have to stand in. It actually took me longer to find an empty space and park my car than it did to check in – a good thing for this disabled vet.
Contrast that with one local precinct having to stay open an extra THREE hours to accommodate all of the people in line at closing time.