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Tarryl Clark (photo: MN AFL-CIO)
Long-shot races against polarizing incumbents could become one of the newest routes for young politicians to fast-track their political careers, if Democrat Tarryl Clark’s recent political two-step pays off.
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann (MN-06) is one of the most extremely polarizing figures in politics. Parts of the Republican base love her, and, with an equal level of passion, parts of the Democratic base despise her. This high level of passion on both sides turned last year’s race between Bachmann and Clark into one of the most expensive races in the country. Both candidates raised huge amounts on the internet from their grassroots. All this fundraising was in spite of the fact that the partisan leaning of the district and the political climate of 2010 made it highly unlikely Clark would win.
Even though defeated in 2010, Clark may benefit heavily from this failed race next year when she takes on Republican Chip Cravaack in the likely more competitive 8th district. Thanks to her race against Bachmann, Clark will have built up name recognition among the important activist base, and a huge donor email list she can directly contact for this next election. That will be a massive asset for her that, in addition to making fundraising easier, could scare away potential primary challengers.
I don’t think Clark actually planned this exact move, few in early 2009 would have guessed long time Democratic incumbent Jim Oberstar was going to lose the 8th, but, if it works out well for Clark, it could become a model for future politicians.
In addition to the Bachmann-Clark race, the instant fundraising success both Joe Wilson (R SC-02) and his Democratic opponent, Rob Miller, had in a safe GOP district right after Rep. Wilson’s “you lie!” outburst shows that the internet now allows politicians to instantly financially tap into bursts of intense emotion and very brief moments of press exposure. Blogs have made it possible for these long-shots running against partisan villains to get more national press exposure; that was unthinkable a decade ago.
With fundraising coming to dominate the process of running for office, and the internet now making it easy to tap into partisan anger, we could see some clever politicians actively trying to use this two-step.
Step one: Run a race you know you are going to lose against a polarizing figure to build an email list and name ID, and bank some leftover campaign funds.
Step two: Two years later use what you built to run for a different office that is actually competitive.
8 Comments
Not sure if I care for this “path” that much myself. District shopping is not something I see as a positive.
I see people using this more as a way to say jump to state-wide races.
And that I can see as well – and as a positive
If Clark’s not a neoliberal, whatever works. If she is a neoliberal, the hell with her.
If the just-revealed GOP redistricting map is adopted (fat chance, that), Clark’s current home (in Stearns County, right under the “7″) and Chip Cravaack both end up in the new MN-7 district.
Any comments about district shopping seem kind of empty, as does any concerns about Clark not being from the Iron Range. Cravaack apparently isn’t exactly from there either. He lives in Chisago County, which is right down by the Twin Cities.
For reference, here’s the current Minnesota district map (PDF).
Thanks. I was just showing up to point that out. Clark was going to move to Duluth regardless of how the maps turned out. Meanwhile, the same media that dutifully spreads MN GOP Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb’s attacks on Clark’s move has somehow failed to notice the evidence of a possible carpet-covered satchel in Lee Byberg’s possession.
The weakness of Cravaack is shown in just how much the GOPers in the lege had to contort his district to protect him.
Does it matter much if the candidate is the reincarnation of Claire McCaskill?
As an avid supporter of Tarryl Clark and also a sensible and informed patriot I am thrilled that Tarryl has chosen to run for Congress again and I don’t care what district she chooses. Tarryl deserves all the credit in the world for running against Michele Bachmann in 2010, even though it meant giving up her seat in the State Senate. No one is more qualified to represent the good people of Minnesota than Tarryl Clark. No one will work harder or do more to actually fulfill their campaign promises than Tarryl will. All one has to do is look at her record as a State Senator to know that she represents her constituents and not special interest groups, like Bachmann and nearly every other GOP candidate anywhere does.
Tarryl, as the author of this article wrote, probably didn’t plan for things to work out this way but one thing is for sure: Tarryl Clark is a fighter! And she’s used to campaigning and isn’t afraid of anything. Tarryl ran twice for the State Senate before she was elected and she knew when she ran against Bachmann that the odds were not in her favor, especially running in the 6th district.
Electing to run against Chip Cravaack in the 8th District is brilliant on Tarryl’s part. Once everyone’s heads stop spinning they will realize what a GIFT they have in Tarryl!
Tarryl Clark for Congress 2012