In Senate Elections, It’s Better To Be Unknown

Public Policy Polling has an interesting “2010 Senate Candidates” analysis up.

My favorite line is this one:

Obscurity may be a plus. 4 of the 9 candidates with positive numbers are still unknown to 40% or more of the voters in their states. For the most part this year the better known a candidate has become the less well liked they’ve been.

Basically, I think it works like this:

1. Bush screwed our country so badly that everyone is tired of politics.
2. After the super hopeful election of 2008, things haven’t gotten better fast enough in any of the ways we all care about (ahem, jobs?).
3. The voters say, a pox on all their houses.

I’m not sure what the solution to this is, to be honest.  In Florida’s Democratic Primary (and in several other states) candidates have been spending millions of dollars on TV ads, only to see their favorability go down.

I think pretty much everyone is tired enough of politicians and politics at this point, that the only way you’re going to garner any support is by being totally different, and totally worthwhile.

Those are, coincidentally, the only types of candidates that DD works for.  Unfortunately, in 2010, they seem to be in short supply.

What I would’t give to bring back Paul Wellstone.

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