Questions are being raised about whether standards for political candidates have shifted over the years. More candidates with alleged crimes or transgressions in their backgrounds appear to be running for office, prompting debate about how voters and political parties weigh those issues when making decisions.
Chuck Coughlin, President of HighGround, Inc., and Stacy Pearson, Co-founder of Lumen Strategies, joined “Arizona Horizon” to examine standards for political candidates.
In Arizona, figures such as Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sheriff Mark Lamb are candidates with backgrounds that could make them unattractive to some voters. At the same time, both major political parties have continued to support candidates facing scrutiny.
“It’s just so overwhelming for folks to keep track of what’s true and what’s not and the attack on the fourth estate and whether or not journalists are out to get these guys; they’re not out to get these guys,” Pearson said.
Coughlin said he believes both parties have changed in this new political landscape.
“So it becomes an equation of can you win that primary and can we pump enough money into that primary to win that? We’re seeing that kind of behavior with both parties endorsing candidates in primaries, the President endorsing people in primaries. It’s not a competitive race anymore,” Coughlin said.
Coughlin added he does not believe this is an accurate reflection of the voting public in the U.S.
Graham Platner, the Senate candidate who recently won the Democratic primary in Maine, has faced controversy because of a Nazi tattoo he had. Pearson discussed what his primary win means in the broader context.
“I think what we’re seeing is a crop of candidates that are bonkers to begin with. They’re willing to run knowing they’re extremely flawed. And in a situation like Maine, his youth superseded [his opponents] experience, and folks are really tired of voting for someone in their late 70s,” Pearson said.
Both Pearson and Coughlin concluded by sharing what this says about politics in the U.S. right now.
“The income gap gets wider and wider, and the people’s opportunity for the notion of America being equal, everybody should have an equal starting line, equal opportunity, that’s not there anymore,” Coughlin said.
Pearson added briefly what she believes needs to change in politics in the U.S.
“We’ve got to get money out of politics and citizens united. This is the beginning of the end,” Pearson said.
