A Political Endorsement can be as Harmful as it is Helpful

Receiving a political endorsement can be as harmful as it is helpful.
Describe a specific situation in which receiving a political endorsement might not be harmful. Discuss what you think determines when political endorsements are harmful and when they are helpful.
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The process of getting elected into office involves a coordinated effort by a campaign staff. They help the candidate make strategic decisions, including what platforms to focus on and which populations to target. The staff also arranges publicity for the candidate and focuses on making his image palatable to voters. Part of managing the publicity efforts include deciding what to do about endorsements for the candidate. Some endorsements may benefit a campaign by adding credibility to the candidate. However, others may be harmful by linking negative aspects of the endorser to the candidate himself.

Certain endorsements can prove to be a boon to a campaign--especially if they are made by powerful individuals and institutions. When people have confidence in a respected endorser, they will trust its political judgment. These types of endorsements are especially beneficial to candidates who are relatively unknown to voters and do not leave a long paper trail. The same situation can be applied to competing in the job market. When an employer receives hundreds of applications, he will pay particular attention to recommendations made by co-workers and friends. The average Joe with a referral will usually have a leg up over the Harvard graduate without personal support.

Endorsements do not only add credibility to the candidate--they also open doors to other donors, email lists, etc. For instance, when an organization like the New York Times endorses a candidate, its thousands of faithful subscribers may be greatly influenced and vote accordingly. Among these readers include rich people who may be also compelled to donate and influence other organizations to dedicate resources to the campaign.

Endorsements, however, can also prove to be harmful. Voters have the tendency to link any negative aspect of an endorser to a candidate himself. Sometimes candidates cannot control who endorses them and the campaign staff will try to veer attention away from an unwelcome endorsement. For example, when Gary Hart wrote an opinion endorsing Barack Obama in 2008, the latter's campaign staff did not bring attention to it. Although Gary Hart was a rather successful Senator and even a frontrunner in the Democratic presidential primaries of the 1980s, his image became marred by a sex scandal. Obama's campaign could not afford to be linked to another Democrat not espousing "family values." Furthermore, a campaign staff will also not publicize endorsements from individuals or entities who have expressed controversial views and statements.

It is, indeed, a strategic choice for a campaign staff to publicize or downplay political endorsements. Voters tend to associate a candidate with the views and record of the endorsers. Even when a campaign chooses to highlight a recommendation, they still run the risk of the endorser saying something in the future that may jeopardize a candidate's chance for winning. Nevertheless, a campaign staff may find that the benefits of having the recommendation outweigh the possibility of missteps made by the endorser.