Mike McGinn, an underdog Democrat in the Seattle race for mayor, won the election yesterday with 51% of the total vote - a margin of about 5000 votes. McGinn had emphasized the environmental aspect of his campaign, even riding his bike to the major campaign events. McGinn also ran with an incredibly low budget and support group - utilizing volunteers and small donations. It is especially surprising that he beat out his main Democratic opponent Joe Mallahan who carried the governor's endorsement.
I think this election is very interesting because it contradicts nearly all the normal election standards, such as name recognition, funding, and political endorsements. This sort of reminded me of Jeff Smith's campaign which seemingly failed because he didn't have the recognition and history, nor the extensive endorsing. However, something must have set the two apart from each other. Perhaps it is merely the difference in cities. Maybe Seattle pays closer attention to the individual opinions and stances of the candidates - and clearly is highly interested in environmental protection. However promising this election is for the future underdogs of the world, I highly doubt that this election is any kind of indicator for a massive change in the proceedings of elections. I think overall, elections will continue to be about face recognition and the abundance of money.
Links:
http://mcginnformayor.com/
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