The Electoral Connection & Patty Murray
The Electoral Connection by David R. Mayhew describes three kinds of activities that Congress members must take in order to achieve their goal of getting elected. Listed below are definitions from the three categories, then there will be examples of how Patty Murray has engaged in these activities.
Advertising
Mayhew said that advertising is "any effort to disseminate one's name among constituents in such a fashion as to create a favorable image but in messages having little or no issue content" (Mayhew 49).
Position Taking
Mayhew said that position taking is "the public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors" (Mayhew 61).
Credit Claiming
Mayhew said that credit claiming is "to generate a belief in a relevant political actor (or actors) that one person is personally responsible for causing the government, or some unit thereof, to do something that the actor (or actors) considers desirable" (Mayhew 53).
Social Media
(The new way to advertise, position take, and credit claim!)- 13.3k followers
- Mix of promoting her stances and image through different mediums (video + photos + captions)
- Uses platform to connect with voters
- Features stories of every day Washingtonians & connects to legislation she has passed
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| Example of Advertising! (Name recognition since Patty is with former First Lady and Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton) |
- 478.6k followers
- Uses platform to promote her stances more concisely
- Uses platform to reply to constituents and other senators directly
- Mostly text, some photos as well
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| Example of Position Taking! |
- 287k followers
- Discusses current issues and stance highly in depth, posts much longer
- More links to news articles that pertains to her stances & what she has done
- More engagement with comments
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| Example of Credit Claiming! |
These mediums demonstrate that Patty Murray is trying to connect to different audiences & advertise, position take, and credit claim in as many ways as possible through social media. It seems that she is most popular on Twitter, possibly because people may only want to see a brief overview of her stances. It seems she uses all platforms to promote her stances and image to get re-elected and to inform constituents on what she is working towards.
Travel
(Position Taking + Credit Claiming)
Travel is used primarily to speak to constituents directly on the stances that are important to the candidate. For Sen. Patty Murray, she "comes home almost every weekend, travels across Washington state listening to her constituents, and then goes back to DC." This ensures Murray a way to connect to people face-to-face, mainly using the approach of position taking and credit claiming to engage constituents with her work.
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| Murray Speaking to Young Constituents |
Press Releases Issued
(Credit Claiming and Position Taking)
Throughout her time in the Senate, Patty Murray has issued many press releases. These allow voters to find out what Murray has done for them and what issues she supports. Mainly, press releases are examples of position taking, but can also have aspects of credit claiming.
Here is a list of a few recent press releases:
- Senator Murray applauding President Biden for his Supreme Court judge nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson (Position Taking)
- Senator Murray taking a stance against Russia's actions in Ukraine (Position Taking)
- Senator Murray taking credit for keeping ferries moving during the pandemic (Credit Claiming)
- Here is a 24-minute video on this if you want further information...
Franking/Mailing
Franking/mailing is also an important piece in advertising. It allows Congress members to send out mail to their constituents with their name on it rather than with a stamp. It usually promotes what they have done for the constituent and the importance of voting in the election.
In regards to Murray, I cannot find much on her habits relating to franking/mailing. I would assume that she does use this to advertise herself to voters.
Bills Sponsor/Co-Sponsor
(Credit Claiming)
Murray has sponsored and co-sponsored many bills within her time in the Senate (1998-2022). The more bills that she sponsors or co-sponsors will allow her to credit claim more frequently if they are passed, or even if they are not passed.
- Women's Retirement Protection Act (Sponsor)
- Protecting the Right to Organize Act (Sponsor)
- Child Care for Working Families Act (Sponsor)
- Capping Prescription Costs Act of 2021 (Co-Sponsor)
- Voter Registration Modernization Act of 2021 (Co-Sponsor)
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (Co-Sponsor)
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