{"id":7312,"date":"2022-08-12T12:54:05","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T12:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/op-ed-political-party-endorsements-are-impactful-but-not-this-time\/"},"modified":"2022-08-12T12:54:05","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T12:54:05","slug":"op-ed-political-party-endorsements-are-impactful-but-not-this-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=7312","title":{"rendered":"OP-ED | Political Party Endorsements Are Impactful, But Not This Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

JONATHAN L. WHARTON<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our state political parties are pretty stodgy when it comes to candidate recruitment, convention rules, and party procedures. This process includes candidates being endorsed by chosen convention delegates (through their respective local party committees) for registered party voters in primary elections. Connecticut saw the results of low turnout this week and voters supported state-party endorsed candidates with one exception: Connecticut\u2019s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, I was unaware that party endorsements meant so much to so many political party insiders and candidates. I thought that little star on the ballot was like a footnote \u2013 great to have but not a necessity. Yet when I joined a Naugatuck Valley mayor\u2019s campaign for state comptroller four years ago, getting the endorsement from state Republican Party delegates was critical. Name recognition mattered for candidates, so voters ideally knew to support an endorsed candidate in primary elections. Being a party-backed candidate indicates credibility and allows campaigns to advertise the title.<\/p>\n

Party endorsement also helps with ballot name placement since endorsed candidates get that coveted party line right up front for primary voters to choose immediately. So, common wisdom indicates that party-endorsed candidates win primary elections because they have the backing of \u201cinsider\u201d party leaders and convention delegates.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s party endorsement proved to be helpful for state Democratic Party candidates Erick Russell for state treasurer and Stephanie Thomas for secretary of the state. But only 14.68% of registered Democrats and 20.69% of registered Republicans showed up on Tuesday, so it was a lackluster turnout<\/a>. It\u2019s usually around 25% to 30% with the rare exception of 43% in the 2006 U.S. Senate race between Ned Lamont and Sen. Joe Lieberman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was likely a low turnout because who thinks about elections in August on one of the hottest days this summer? Party loyalists. And with no gubernatorial candidates at the top of the ticket this year (compared to a half-dozen candidates in 2018), who would come out? Party loyalists. They are also the ones that volunteer and donate to campaigns. And Republicans came out in higher percentages than Democrats on Tuesday. That fact should indicate not just loyalty, but also motivation to support a candidate \u2013 a party endorsed candidate and a non-endorsed candidate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dominic Rapini won the state Republican Party\u2019s endorsement and the primary election for secretary of the state. Former state representative and state House Minority Leader Themis Klarides won the state Republican Party\u2019s endorsement at the party\u2019s convention, but she faced a three-way race in Tuesday\u2019s primary for the U.S. Senate. Both Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj qualified with enough delegate support to make it onto the primary ballot. But with the party splintered and former President Donald Trump\u2019s endorsement late last week for Levy, Klarides lost despite having won party\u2019s endorsement at the convention.<\/p>\n

But our state\u2019s party endorsement and convention processes are archaic and our primaries are hardly getting the attention that they should. Few Nutmeggers understand endorsements and primaries because the majority of us are not affiliated with a political party and Connecticut is a closed primary election state. A voter must register with a party prior to the primary election. No surprise then that much of the primary election, party convention, and candidate endorsement procedures are electoral logistics and partisan minutiae.<\/p>\n

What matters most is registering with a party and showing up. Tuesday serves as a reminder that party insiders can endorse candidates, but primary elections are critical when registered party voters participate in primaries for November\u2019s general election ballot.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMore about Election 2022<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"ANALYSIS<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMap of the 2022 Republican Connecticut Senate primary.<\/p>\n

ANALYSIS | Levy Shocks Klarides, Endorsed Candidates Roll<\/h3>\n

Leora Levy is the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She\u2019ll face off against Richard Blumenthal in the fall. She easily defeated well-known moderate Republican Themis Klarides, who served as House minority leader up until 2021, and in doing so almost certainly torpedoed any chance her party has of racking up some much-needed wins\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Susan Bigelow<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 11, 2022, 4:50 amAugust 11, 2022, 10:15 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Low<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer Secretary of the State Denise Merrill<\/p>\n

Low Voter Turnout Predicted<\/h3>\n

Hot weather, lower-profile races and lingering concern over COVID-19 may all contribute to low voter turnout during Tuesday\u2019s primary election in Connecticut, former Secretary of the State Denise Merrill said Monday.\u00a0 Democrats and Republicans will head to the polls Tuesday to pick their candidates in a handful of races. Republicans will settle a three-way primary\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 9, 2022, 5:00 amAugust 8, 2022, 8:25 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Connecticut<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA voter fills out a ballot in Enfield in 2021<\/p>\n

Connecticut Voters Face Thursday Deadline to Register With a Party Online Before Primary<\/h3>\n

Unaffiliated Connecticut residents seeking to cast ballots in Tuesday\u2019s primary election are facing deadlines today to become members of a political party by mail or online.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 4, 2022, 12:44 pmAugust 4, 2022, 12:44 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tViolent crime in the US versus Connecticut, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer. The FBI began collecting data in 1985. The chart shows violent crime peaked in Connecticut in 1990 and has been trending downward ever since.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Shame On Politicians (And Journalists) Who Exploit Crime Stories<\/h3>\n

The boy who cried wolf \u2013 Alex Jones \u2013 is enmeshed in serious court time, and his business\u2019s bankruptcy. He is what fear would look like, if fear was made of flesh.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Judge<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tUS Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, speaks to reporters at an event in November 2021.<\/p>\n

Judge Upholds Connecticut\u2019s Ballot Access Law, Rules Against Larson Challenger<\/h3>\n

A Hartford Superior Court judge on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of Connecticut\u2019s ballot access laws, handing another defeat to Muad Hrezi, the young Democrat who was challenging U.S. Rep. John Larson for the Democratic Party\u2019s nomination in the 1st Congressional District.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 3, 2022, 11:03 amAugust 3, 2022, 2:27 pm<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Will Connecticut Republicans Choose Head, Heart, or LOLs?<\/h3>\n

Next week Republican voters go to the polls to choose their candidate to run against US Sen. Richard Blumenthal in the fall election. They are choosing between a good but probably doomed candidate, a consistent but absolutely doomed candidate, and total disaster.\u00a0What they choose in the primary next week will tell us a lot about\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Klarides<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThemis Klarides<\/p>\n

Klarides Aims Center, While Republican Opponents Tack Right<\/h3>\n

Themis Klarides embraced her moderate political leanings as a general election strength during a Tuesday night debate of Republican U.S. Senate hopefuls, which saw opponents Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj compete for the most conservative positions on abortion and gun control.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 26, 2022, 10:25 pmJuly 27, 2022, 8:42 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"8<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, shown in January 2020.<\/p>\n

8 Debates Announced<\/h3>\n

In advance of the election in November, Connecticut Public and the League of Women Voters of Connecticut (LWVCT) have scheduled a series of eight debates featuring candidates from races for governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of the state, and the five congressional districts.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Dems<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tU.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th (FILE\/CTNewsJunkie)<\/p>\n

Dems Outpace Republicans in Second Quarter Fundraising<\/h3>\n

Incumbent Democrats in all five of Connecticut\u2019s congressional districts far outstripped their Republican challengers in the election fundraising quarter that concluded at the end of June, according to federal campaign finance reports. Fundraising was most competitive in the state\u2019s 5th District, where two-term Democrat U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes brought in roughly $340,000 in contributions, more\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Hugh McQuaid<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 25, 2022, 3:40 pmJuly 26, 2022, 1:38 am<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | The New Political Catchphrase: \u2018Parents\u2019 Rights\u2019<\/h3>\n

As we approach the Connecticut primaries on Aug. 9, the political rhetoric is heating up. In addition to the abundant TV ads, I\u2019ve noticed some increasingly popular language that has been thrown around by many Republican candidates discussing education: parents\u2019 rights, parental choice, or some variation thereof.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Barth\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby<\/span> Barth Keck<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tJuly 24, 2022, 11:06 amJuly 24, 2022, 11:27 am<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMore from Jonathan L. Wharton<\/span>
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Deep River Confrontation Displays An Unfortunate Reality In Connecticut<\/h3>\n

Last month\u2019s assault by an adult on 11-year-old Daniel Duncan in Deep River was a shock to many Connecticut residents. But it was also a reminder of how much racial bias remains in our supposedly progressive state. Daniel\u2019s friend video-recorded Jameson Chapman injuring and pushing the child off his bicycle.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Gannett\u2019s Restructuring Plan Is A Wake-up Call For Media Literacy<\/h3>\n

You might have read that Gannett plans to end and restructure the opinion sections of their newspapers. Among some 250 daily papers, including USA Today, there will be fewer syndicated columns, political endorsements, and letters to the editor. Since fewer Americans read newspapers and many confuse written opinions for news articles, Gannett\u2019s announcement should hardly\u2026<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA reflecting pool on the grounds of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Despite the Partisan Outcry Over Roe v. Wade, Abortion Policy Is Not A Binary Argument<\/h3>\n

Jonathan L. Wharton says Americans are oversimplifying abortion through a partisan lens when polling data tells us it\u2019s a non-binary issue that\u2019s about more than party politics.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWest Haven, Connecticut, shown on a map.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Even as Outsiders We Can\u2019t Avoid West Haven\u2019s Politics<\/h3>\n

Jonathan L. Wharton says that while recent media attention has focused on West Haven\u2019s former state representative, Michael DiMassa, and his alleged misuse of $630,000 in federal COVID-19 funds, the episode is only one of many in the city\u2019s downward spiral.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe atrium of the Legislative Office Building pre-pandemic (CTNewsJunkie file)<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Is Democracy Back?<\/h3>\n

Jonathan L. Wharton muses on the return of in-person meetings and hearings while also finding value in online access<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"OP-ED<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Biden, at the time as former Vice President, speaks to a Connecticut crowd in 2018.<\/p>\n

OP-ED | Rating Biden\u2019s First Year This President\u2019s Day Weekend<\/h3>\n

Jonathan L. Wharton and Thomas J. Balcerski look at the position Joe Biden finds himself in compared to other presidents viewed through the lens of history.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKeep reading\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Support authentic, locally owned and operated public service journalism!<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JONATHAN L. WHARTON Our state political parties are pretty stodgy when it comes to candidate recruitment, convention rules, and party procedures. This process includes candidates being endorsed by chosen convention delegates (through their respective local party committees) for registered party voters in primary elections. Connecticut saw the results of low turnout this week and voters supported state-party endorsed candidates with one exception: Connecticut\u2019s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. Admittedly, I was unaware that party endorsements meant so much to so many political party insiders and candidates. I thought that little star on the ballot was like a footnote \u2013… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/jonathan-wharton-125x200_120_200_99.jpg?resize=120,200&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ctnewsjunkie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/jonathan-wharton-125x200_120_200_99.jpg?resize=120,200&is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}