We're five weeks away from the midterm election, and Congressional challengers are making headlines thanks to their commercials.
Senate hopeful Gary Chambers has gained national attention for his series of web ads, including one that highlighted his support for the legalization of cannabis. LA-2 House candidate Katie Darling is in the national spotlight this week for a commercial in which she is shown giving birth.
Will those commercials help them to an upset victory over the incumbents? Xavier University professor and political scientist Dr. Silas Lee says it's not impossible.
"The reality is that in any political campaign, it depends on what's happening--the event," Dr. Lee said. "A commercial along without any supplemental activities and other types of endorsements and messages from the candidate will not automatically translate into elevating that particular candidate into a position that is more competitive against their opponent.
"Campaigns are very seldom single-shot approaches. It gets visability, but we have to wait to see whether or not that visibility is sustained."
Polls show the incumbents are heavily favored in these races. So why are Darling, Chambers, and Luke Mixon--another Senate hopeful--investing so much time, effort, and money into their campaigns?
"In the minds of the candidates who are running, they have a particular position, or they want to inform voters about an issue they feel needs to gain more attention of not only that person in office but something they may feel passionate about that needs to be changed," Dr. Lee said. "It might be on issue. It might be personal. It might be something they wanted to do or, in their minds, they see an opportunity to highlight something that they feel is marginalized or that the incumbent may not have taken seriously. You have a host of reasons why candidates can challenge an incumbent who might be in a very competitive and strong position."
