This year's primary elections brought into view the importance of candidate endorsements. Arizona 360 invited Kate Kenski, a professor from the University of Arizona Department of Communication and School of Government and Public Policy to talk about their role in the election cycle.
Endorsements come in three different forms: political, celebrity and citizen. Arizona 360 host Lorraine Rivera asks Kenski to detail how those endorsements have the ability to sway voters.
Kenski explains that endorsements provide a roadmap for voters. Rather than having to sort out nuanced perspectives, the voter can make a judgment by looking to someone they trust, or do not trust, as the case may be.
“If someone is not trusted, if someone has burned bridges in certain ways, them offering their support can be a signal to people who don’t like that person that whoever they are supporting, is someone they don’t want to support.”