National Politicians Have Mixed Reactions to Loughlin Movie Ad

Fourth Ward Republican Council nominee Keith Loughlin's decision to advertise on the screen at the Rialto has made him the first in Westfield to employ this tactic, which is rare nationally.

Elected officials around the country, contacted by Westfield Patch, had mixed reactions to Loughlin's plan. Some said it would increase word of mouth buzz for Loughlin, while others questioned if it would bring in enough voters in a ward where 2900 voters voted in the 2005 election. Loughlin is challenging Democratic incumbent Tom Bigosinski, who is seeking a second four year term.

The biggest question raised by the other elected officials was how targeted an audience Loughlin is reaching with the movie advertisement. Missouri State Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City, said he would have concerns over the fact that the theater reaches other communities and other wards in Westfield. His preference would be for more targeted mail pieces, a comment that was echoed by other elected officials questioned.

North Dakota State Rep. Jasper Schneider, D-Fargo, who unsuccessfully sought the state insurance commissioner's office in 2008, agreed with Kander that the direct mail pieces would be a better way to go in the small ward, along with door-to-door campaigning. He did note that he had never heard of a movie campaign ad before.

"It may be a neat idea for those who see it, but how many of them are voters?" Schneider said.

Schneider's colleague, North Dakota State Rep. Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, said he would advise Loughlin to follow up on the movie ad. He said that while he would not use the movie strategy alone and suggests seven direct mail pieces to reach voters, he said there are things Loughlin could do. One idea would be to campaign in front of the movie theater following popular movies in order to reinforce the ad shown before the movie.

"It sounds like an ingenious idea to reach out to a new demographic," Mock said. "It is difficult for me to say if it is a great or bad idea without knowing the town well. If he uses that to enhance his message it will help. The idea to stand alone is innovative and outside the box."

Mock noted that in his successful 2008 campaign he and his running mates had to think outside the box in their district which is almost entirely the University of North Dakota. He said they printed up magnets with the campaign logo and a listing of all take out pizza places to hand out to voters during the campaign.

"This guy has it right to be different," he said.

Henry Wojtaszek, who chairs the Republican Party in Niagara County, NY, and is running for state GOP chairman in New York, said he could see the strategy working in a race. He said it would depend on the current political environment in Westfield and the how the voters react to the ads.

Loughlin's creativity with the movie ad, along with fundraisers centered around a kickball campaign and a chicken wing eating contest, along with passing out sponges with his name on it received positive comments from the elected officials. Oregon State Rep. Brent Barton, D-Clackamas, said he favors the creative campaign ideas, including the new fundraising ideas. His guess is that either Loughlin has run out of things to spend money on or just wants to be creative.

"I kind of like this guy's style, he's creative," Barton said. "Maybe he's a creative guy who's running an unconventional campaign."

Barton noted that Loughlin is guaranteeing himself the fact that the movie ads will generate a buzz of people who see the ad while at the Rialto. He said this could have more benefit than mail pieces. Jersey City Councilman Steven Fulop, D-Paulus Hook, agreed with Barton.

"The fact we are having this conversation proves that," Fulop said of the idea of generating buzz.

Editor's Note: As a part of the interview, the elected officials in this article were provided with basic demographic and political information about Westfield and the Fourth Ward council race. This included the population of the town and ward, the fact that the Rialto is the only movie theater in town and draws a regional audience, the size of the electorate in the 2005 council race and that Loughlin is a challenger against a one term incumbent. They were not given the partisan affiliation or the names of the two candidates. They were also not given the partisan breakdown of the town overall. The comments in this article should be not perceived as an endorsement of either candidate in the fourth ward council race by anyone quoted.