It is the classic campaign photo/video; “the candidate voting”.
The candidate shows-up all smiles at his/her polling place. The media has been tipped off well in advance…and they are there to capture the candidate voting for him/herself…with the spouse and maybe their adorable children in tow.
Campaign workers may make sure the candidate knows the name of the polling workers he/she may have to report to. There may even be a few backers asked to come to polling place at the same time for an allegedly spontaneous moment of someone yelling, “You got my vote!”
Aside from the victory or concession speech…it is among the last bits of stage-craft for a candidate…and among the easiest to pull off.
David Hoffman followed the standard ‘script’. This morning, the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ US Senate seat showed up at his polling place at Chicago’s Pritzker School. Hoffman walked in with his wife, Monique…and son, Grayson. The not-quite-2-year-old announced to reporters, “I voted.”
A warm and fuzzy moment that might get replayed all day.
The voting photo op for Democratic front-runner Alexi Giannoulias never happened…which is too bad for him.
The primary contest…according to polls…has tightened in recent weeks. Giannoulias has been dogged by a series of bad developments in the family business…Broadway Bank…where he worked before getting elected State Treasurer.
A good photo op of Giannoulias voting would at least give the candidate a chance to change the recent video loop of Giannoulias…somber faced…answering serious questions about the troubled family bank.
But Giannoulias voted early. That denied him the classic voting photo op. Instead…the Giannoulias campaign sent out an e-mail alert that the candidate this morning would be at polling place on the Northwest Side of Chicago…to greet voters.
Fox News had a crew there waiting. The Chicago Tribune had a photographer in place, too. A Giannoulias campaign staffer greeted the media…and went about the business of coordinating the event. That was made more challenging by the lack of voters at the polling place.
Then, the Giannoulias campaign staffer…apparently…left…unannounced.
About 15-minutes later…Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy contacted the staffer by phone. The staffer disclosed the event…had been cancelled. The candidate was not coming and the staffer was on the way to another assignment.
It has not been a good couple of weeks for Giannoulias…and today’s not off to a good start.