Do Endorsements Matter?

Once upon a time, voters were loyal to political parties and bosses; their endorsements meant a great deal. It was a simpler time. But those days have passed. Today, political graveyards are littered with the corpses of politicians who had more endorsements than their opponents. “The endorsement mattered more when mass communication was weaker,” explains GOP strategist Dan Hazelwood, “because it was the only brand identifier people heard.”