Only unexpected endorsements sway voters, according to political experts.
“The newspapers people read tend to have their points of view anyway,” said Charles Neal, chairman of the political science department at McDaniel College in Westminster.
“It takes something unexpected,” said James Gimpel, a University of Maryland government professor.
For example, The Washington Post?s endorsement of Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich less than two weeks before the general election “could make a difference,” he said.
About 30 percent of voters don?t decide until two or three weeks before an election, Gimpel said, and a surprising endorsement could boost a candidate.
The endorsement that comes from the opposite side of the political spectrum ? called “reluctant testimony” in rhetoric ? garners the most trust, said Richard Vatz, a communications professor at Towson University in Baltimore.
This election season saw several examples of backers breaking party ranks, especially in the final weeks:
» Prominent Democratic and independent activists threw their support behind Republican Chris Merdon for Howard County executive.
» Republican Carroll County commissioners and a bipartisan political action committee backed Democrat Dennis Beard for commissioner.
A lack of endorsement also can speak volumes.
In the tight governor?s race, Democrat Martin O?Malley could have benefited from less “tepid” support from comptroller and former Gov. William Donald Schaefer, a Democrat who initially backed O?Malley but later refused to pick anyone, Vatz said.
But the Baltimore mayor?s gubernatorial chances grew when Democrat Doug Duncan endorsed O?Malley, he said.
“It?s not going to have a big effect, but in a close race, you don?t need a big effect,” Vatz said.
Part of the Baltimore Examiner’s 2006 Election Coverage
