Candidates look for gimmicks and an edge as they attempt to woo voters -- even if more than a few people claim to be from Iowa.
August 27, 2006
Star Tribune
Norman Draper
Bruce Kennedy has two big recognition problems as a candidate: Not many people know who he is, and he's running for secretary of state.
"A lot of people do not know what it is," Kennedy, a Roseville attorney who's running as an independent, said Saturday at his booth at the Minnesota State Fair. "Maybe they're confusing me with Condoleeza Rice and Colin Powell; I don't know." There's the added confusion of people mistaking him for Mark Kennedy, the Republican congressman running for U.S. Senate.
No matter. The State Fair is a big forum for Kennedy, who with the help of a friend and his wife, Linda, sawed, hammered and painted until they came up with a homemade booth, and even wired up monitors to show campaign commercial spoofs.
For candidates of all stripes, there's no better place to press the flesh, no better way to get your face out there in public than at the fair. But it can also be a tough crowd, while politely so. Look at the competition: cheese curds, livestock, carnival rides and, in the case of Kennedy, a lot of shiny, brand-new Dodges parked next door. And at least one candidate has noticed that when he invites folks over for a chat, unusually large numbers wind up being from out of state.
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Posted by john5091 at August 28, 2006 8:37 AM