Complete and Total Endorsement

What value does an endorsement carry? There are academic papers out there, of course, but rather than delve into that, perhaps we should just say (as I like to answer virtually all questions at work), it depends. Yes, Donald Trump's endorsement appears to help his brand of the nationalist, opportunist, often morally questionable candidates throughout the country. Many of his candidates have succeeded with some notable exceptions. Meanwhile, my endorsement of a candidate would mean precisely this. 

What about local endorsements? Popular incumbents and local law enforcement are especially desirable and for good reason. What about random ass organizations (RAOs) or even controversial organizations? The cornucopia of examples runneth over. Yet, a good case study of this question might just be the state house race in the 8th Legislative District (Position 2). This race features two political newcomers in Joe Cotta and April Connors. 

This race pits two same-party candidates (Republicans in this case) against each other, which in the jungle primary system of Washington (feature post alert!) is not uncommon yet remains exciting from a campaign and political standpoint. It is moronic, however -- ok, stop ⛔ -- future post problem. The dynamic is interesting, however, as Joe Cotta has secured endorsements from both the Benton and Franklin County Republican Parties. That should spell good news for Joe. After all, it means website love, built-in doorbellers, a free mailer, slobbering Facebook posts, and otherwise. Does that make April the underdog? Not according to the PDC reports that show her raising (let's be real) an amazing amount of money in the Tri-Cities for her race and the fact that she won the primary outright.

Both the party endorsements and the money raised are worthy of their own thoughts, but we shall zero in on something I find even more fascinating. The support for each of these two candidates couldn't be more telling.

Joe Cotta Endorsements:

Please visit the list. Joe is endorsed by ProtectAmerica.org, Conservative Ladies of Washington, Stand for Health Freedom, U-Turn for Christ, Family Policy Institute of WA, and several others. This is quite the lineup of RAOs.  The point is, I could start a PAC, a Facebook group, a book club, a recycling group, or anything called Voters With Braincells and offer an endorsement, and should you care? Not if you don't do your research or if the group doesn't have established credibility.

Let's give Joe his due. He's endorsed by soon-to-be former state rep and cowboy hat model Brad Klippert among other local Republican fanatics such as Kennewick Mayor Bill McKay and several of the hard-right class of 2021 local school board freshmen. 

April Connors Endorsements:

April has been endorsed by former congressman Doc Hastings, State Senator Perry Dozier, State Rep. Skyler Rude, State Rep. Mark Klicker, the House Republican Organizational Committee, Kennewick City Council members Gretl Crawford and Loren Anderson, and (read the list) many others community leaders and high profile organizations.

Yet, the elephant (or rhinoceros) in the room is the Washington Education Association endorsement of April Connors. Cotta is currently running radio ads attacking Connors over this endorsement. The WEA is, in layman's terms, the teachers union in the state of Washington. Joe Cotta wants Republican voters to believe that April is in lockstep with the teachers union and supports everything they stand for (or potentially stand for) from critical race theory to pride flags in every classroom.

So why does an organization or individual offer an endorsement? Obviously, it's because they think the individual is the best candidate who most closely aligns with their beliefs, stances, or mission. Does this, by proximity, mean that April supports CRT or other lightning rod topics? Of course not and the insinuation is disingenuous at best. Joe knows that, but his campaign strategy is to play hard to his base and to paint his opponent as a closet Democrat while trying to ride the local party endorsements. While the WEA is obviously a left-wing organization and endorses mostly Democrats, interestingly enough, Republicans Matt Boehnke and Skyler Rude are also endorsed. Curious about where the attacks are on their conservative credentials. Should April, Matt, and Skyler disavow the WEA? Donald Trump could only awkwardly sidestep a question about the KKK endorsement and later disavowed it, but his local fans are all up in arms over a WEA endorsement.

Ok, let's get real here - this is a proxy race. The choice is between having someone more like Brad Klippert or Matt Boehnke as the next state representative for most of the urban part of the Tri-Cities. Rep. Matt Boehnke is running for the state senate with a speed bump of an opponent. Brad Klippert, offended by Dan Newhouse's impeachment vote, threw his name in the hat for the 4th district congressional race and was clearly rejected finishing in 5th place (although he performed better in Benton and Franklin Counties, where he was endorsed by the local parties). Matt Boehnke has a history of success in passing bills and influencing the legislature. Klippert has a history of wearing cowboy hats and running around the room yelling.

Is Joe Cotta really a Klippert proxy? Well, let's go to the tape! Matt Boehnke is a trained cybersecurity expert and teaches such courses at CBC. Meanwhile, Joe Cotta was quite enthusiastic about getting Brad Klippert to Mike Lindell's (he of MyPillow, MyCoffee, MyButtPlug, and so much more -- totally not a grift) "Cyber Symposium" that was billed to taxpayers:

I only have one question: what is with the pastel, purplish bear? Joe, I'm a voter. I demand answers.