Credibility Repellent: Please, Just Run For One Thing at a Time!

When you run for political office in this country, you’re asking voters to trust you.  You’re asking them to either give you a job, or to help you send a message about a particular issue or cause.

Candidates of minor parties often complain that voters won’t take them seriously.  They argue that everyone who is on the ballot has an equal chance of winning and the voters should give every single candidate a fair shake.

That would be all well and good, except these same candidates are the ones who most often mount less-than-serious bids for office.   Case in point is the near-paper candidacy of Scott Lewis for Louisiana governor, a great opportunity wasted.

What’s even worse than the candidates who are barely paying attention to their own campaigns are the ones who openly admit that they’re really focused on some other political pursuit.  Either they’re running for another, higher office simultaneously, or running their state or national party organization.  The party chairmen who pull the “I’m just putting my name on the ballot as a favor to my party” routine are doing their parties no favor at all.

Third party activists and office-seekers frequently fall into this trap.  It’s as if they’ve paid their way into an all-you-can-eat buffet of political opportunities.

“With so many delicious races on the ballot… how can I choose just one?”

To quote one of my previous editorials on this topic, written in the wake of LNC Chairman Mark Hinkle’s awful last place showing in a California State Senate election…

Minor party officials should not run for public office, because their poor showings reflect badly on the party as a whole and divert important resources.

Let’s face it, either Hinkle spent time running for State Senate that he should have used to focus on his role as Chairman of the LNC, or else he spent no time on his State Senate race and the resulting 2% should come as no surprise.  Neither scenario is appealing.

Maybe I was too harsh.  I’ll amend my statement to say that they should only run for local office if they’re in a position to inspire and advance their party’s credibility with their showing.   This week, Green Party co-chair Farheen Hakeem finished second in a four-way race for Minnesota State Senate.  She campaigned hard and beat the Republican nominee by 2.5 to 1 in the final count, capturing about 22% of the vote.

Compare that to Constitution Party national field director Gary Odom, who is running a paper campaign for Lancaster City Council.  Seriously… how is this helping the image of the Constitution Party?

Odom said he’s not running an active campaign. He hasn’t spent money on yard signs or literature. He has spoken informally to voters, but has not addressed groups or gone knocking on doors seeking support.

“I ran for Congress twice in California, and I know what it takes to win,” the 59-year-old said.  But, he said, he doesn’t have the time needed to devote to his own campaign.

Odom’s efforts are directed instead at the Constitution Party’s 2012 candidates. He travels frequently to California, Idaho and elsewhere, where he works to get the party’s candidates on the ballot.

Another current example of this distracted campaigning is R. V. Gary, a candidate for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination and a candidate for a seat on the local San Antonio River Authority.  In a blistering editorial, the San Antonio Express-News let local voters know what they think of Gary’s dual-effort…

Voters can’t be blamed for wondering what Gary is thinking. Clearly, his top priority is not serving Bexar County’s interests on the SARA board.

“I would resign the SARA board if I were elected president,” Gary said.  In that case, the odds are that he would remain on the SARA board if he snares that job.

The article goes on to detail Gary’s past experience as the pretend vice-president of the Republic of Texas, and how he once “handed plans for a transitional government to a representative of Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock and House Speaker Pete Laney.”

Candidates like Gary may not realize it, but they’re doing more to hold back their own parties than any Republican or Democrat ever could.