Yard signs help raise name identification as well as create a sense of momentum in a campaign. However, there are added benefits for a candidate who raises yard signs in a primary – even when the candidate may not have primary opposition.
First, a candidate who raises primary yard signs and then raises them again in a general election creates a sense in the minds of voters that the candidate has already run once and succeeded. To some degree, this is the same advantage that incumbents gain by running year after year – a comfortable sense of familiarity that voters get having seen their name in neighborhood lawns and on the ballot.
Second, raising yard signs in the primary is a good “practice run” for a campaign’s organization. No serious team would go into a regular season without a practice game or two. Candidate’s achieve the same goal by forcing themselves to go through the exercise of finding locations, organizing volunteers to get the yard signs raised and then collecting them back in.
Third, yard signs raise name identification. By raising yard signs in the primary, voters and donors will see first hand evidence of an active, working campaign. It will make the personal door-to-door visit more meaningful for voters when they recognize the candidate’s name and it will remind donors that it’s time to help with the expenses of the campaign.
Fourth, campaign season officially kicks off on Labor Day and runs fast and furious through Election Day. Candidate’s and their campaigns find there is more to be done than is humanly possible during that 66 day window. Anything that can be accomplished before the fall should be accomplished. By putting up yard signs in the spring or summer, campaigns get one task out of the way that won’t be eating away at valuable time and resources in the fall.
Fifth, voters who take a yard sign invest in a campaign, even if it is in a small way. It’s better to create this investment in the campaign earlier, rather than later. It pays dividends through loyalty, energy in the campaign and campaign contributions.
An “A level” campaign takes advantage of every opportunity. The window of opportunity that opens during the primary must be acted upon by candidates who are in tough races. I’ve never heard a candidate who regretted putting up yard signs in the primary, but I’ve known many who didn’t and wished they had.
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