Who is Missing?
We've had almost a two-week break without any mailings. But with DeSantis making it official, his Super PAC timed a mailing to reach us the very next day.
The past two weeks haven't been without campaign news though. Tim Scott made it official as well and the candidates are starting to find a few more stops in Iowa, especially around Des Moines or other somewhat larger towns.
Endorsements are starting to come in and Five Thirty Eight has a tracker of the higher profile endorsements. I certainly do not endorse Five Thirty Eight, but they do provide interesting information at times.
For the most part, I think endorsements are not worth much. In fact, I think they can hurt the endorser, more than they help the endorsee. Where I think they might help show some interesting data, is if one dug down to the actual local state legislators. Five Thirty Eight doesn't really track these. They stop at the leaders of the local state legislators.
The more local you get the more responsible one has to be to the voters. More people know you and you are going to be a much more accurate representation of the people you represent. A U.S. Senator covers an entire state of different voter types from the past 2-6 years in time. Their endorsement doesn't represent people as accurately.
So when Senator Thune from South Dakota came out and endorsed Tim Scott, it gives Tim Scott a big point boost in Five Thirty Eight's endorsement tracker. But honestly, I think an endorsement from a local Iowa state rep such as Skyler Wheeler for Ron DeSantis says more about who the voters will be voting for in Iowa.
Also, nothing against South Dakota, but Thune endorsing Tim Scott is a safe play for everyone. South Dakota votes very late in the primary schedule and it's likely the race will be over by then.
Back to today's mailing. This one is slightly personalized with my name printed on the front. It also has a perforated area on the back to simulate a membership card. Both of these increase the cost of printing slightly. The DeSantis Super PAC is spending a lot of money. Meanwhile, not a single other candidate (other than Perry Johnson) has done anything to reach a lot of the rural areas yet.
So, even though this mailing implies I might be missing, the real people missing are the other candidates. I believe some are only trying to be considered for the VP position. They need to actually start getting out and about and spend a little money on mailings to make sure we in Iowa know they exist.
The past two weeks haven't been without campaign news though. Tim Scott made it official as well and the candidates are starting to find a few more stops in Iowa, especially around Des Moines or other somewhat larger towns.
Endorsements are starting to come in and Five Thirty Eight has a tracker of the higher profile endorsements. I certainly do not endorse Five Thirty Eight, but they do provide interesting information at times.
For the most part, I think endorsements are not worth much. In fact, I think they can hurt the endorser, more than they help the endorsee. Where I think they might help show some interesting data, is if one dug down to the actual local state legislators. Five Thirty Eight doesn't really track these. They stop at the leaders of the local state legislators.
The more local you get the more responsible one has to be to the voters. More people know you and you are going to be a much more accurate representation of the people you represent. A U.S. Senator covers an entire state of different voter types from the past 2-6 years in time. Their endorsement doesn't represent people as accurately.
So when Senator Thune from South Dakota came out and endorsed Tim Scott, it gives Tim Scott a big point boost in Five Thirty Eight's endorsement tracker. But honestly, I think an endorsement from a local Iowa state rep such as Skyler Wheeler for Ron DeSantis says more about who the voters will be voting for in Iowa.
Also, nothing against South Dakota, but Thune endorsing Tim Scott is a safe play for everyone. South Dakota votes very late in the primary schedule and it's likely the race will be over by then.
Back to today's mailing. This one is slightly personalized with my name printed on the front. It also has a perforated area on the back to simulate a membership card. Both of these increase the cost of printing slightly. The DeSantis Super PAC is spending a lot of money. Meanwhile, not a single other candidate (other than Perry Johnson) has done anything to reach a lot of the rural areas yet.
So, even though this mailing implies I might be missing, the real people missing are the other candidates. I believe some are only trying to be considered for the VP position. They need to actually start getting out and about and spend a little money on mailings to make sure we in Iowa know they exist.