What has intrigued me though is Festa’s timing. He seemed to exit the race at the exact moment his campaign was gaining ground. He was building a solid organization, he was getting contributions, and more importantly he had really positioned himself as the most qualified and that message seemed to be taking hold. However, despite all of this Festa’s tipping point did seem to be coming a little late, yes that’s right, late despite the fact that the race isn’t until November. Festa’s departure underscores the need for people to start taking notice of races as candidates declare. A lot of Festa’s supporters seemed to have waited too long to really get behind him. Because of this delay it seems that Barrios and Leone have capitalized and the race will be between them.
Most people have a tendency to think they don’t need to pay attention to elections until they are just a few weeks away but the reality is that by then these races have undergone tremendous changes without any input from the people the candidates are seeking. People complain on election day when they see their choices yet the likelihood often is that much early there were better candidates that just couldn’t get off the ground because the support wasn’t there. This often means that the establishment backed (read Tom Reilly) candidate makes it all the way to the end, further perpetuating the establishment’s hold.
Personally, I think we are all served best when races are full of candidates that are full of ideas and energy. This way we are the most likely to see the best one win. I encourage everyone to start paying attention to the races nationally, statewide, and locally as soon as people start to announce their interests and as they build organizations. We need to support those who are brave enough to step up and run. We can ensure that we get the candidate we want by being there from the beginning. This may be the best sort of electoral reform we can institute.
