The Electoral Connection: Chuck Schumer Edition

 The Electoral Connection: Chuck Schumer Edition

Advertising, Credit Claiming, and Position Taking

Annual Tour of Each of New York's 62 Counties 

This past December, just a few short months ago, Senator Schumer wrapped up his 23rd annual New York County Tour. During these tours, he meets will local leaders, gauges the publics concerns, and discusses what he has been up to in Congress. More than anything, this tour provides him a means of advertising himself and continuing to build his brand. However, it also enables him to claim credit for various legislative accomplishments. 

Senator Schumer with Proctor's CEO Philip Morris (notice the message on sign below Proctor's)

In his second to last stop this past year, he met with Proctors CEO Philip Morris who runs a live entertainment business in the county. This allowed Senator Schumer to claim credit for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program he helped move through Congress which provided $39 million in payments to local live entertainment venues. Additionally, in each county he was also able to claim credit for having help passed the recent Infrastructure Bill. 

In this short news clip, Senator Schumer is using his final stop on his Tour to position take on hospital funding and allocation. He asks the Department of Health and Human Services to get the money (some $17 billion) out ASAP and to prioritize hospitals currently experiencing crisis based on current data. He ends his address stating that he will, "fight tooth and nail."

Position Taking: Extended Cut

Senator Chuck Schumer is taking steps to move the Women's Health Protection Act forward by pushing for a vote in the Senate. In September 2021, House Democrats voted almost unanimously to pass it. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough votes in the Senate to pass it. So why push it? Well, it is an opportunity for Schumer and other Democratic Senators to take a position on the issue ahead of upcoming elections so their constituencies have a solid idea of where they stand on a divisive national issue.

You can find a more recent tweet here

It's 4:20 Somewhere! #LegalizeIt

Senator Chuck Schumer announced at a press conference at the beginning of the month that he will be formally filing a bill that will federally legalize marijuana sometime in April. At a New York event Schumer stated that, "As majority leader, I can set priorities. This is a priority for me."

What Does All This Say About Mayhew's Theory?

How easy it was to find all of this information, and to be sure there were more examples than what is included here, suggests that Mayhew is correct in predicting that if MCs are "single-minded seekers" that they will devote significant resources into advertising, credit claiming, and position taking. For example, Senator Chuck Schumer dedicates a significant amount of both time and money in order to take his annual 62-County Tour, which allows him to partake in all three of these activities. It's kind of brilliant. However, I don't think it means that we should become pessimistic about MCs. Election and reelection are proximate goals, and so if they want to achieve their legislative and public works goals then engaging in these activities is a necessary evil.