SMRR, the ruling political party in Santa Monica for nearly 30 years, has endorsed 14 candidates in four different races — Rent Control, School Board, College Board and City Council — in this year’s election.
Candidates who have been left out of SMRR endorsements and those by other political players, such as labor unions, usually find themselves running a difficult campaign in a competitive election season.
“It’s definitely harder,” said City Council candidate Mark McLellan, 46, who works in real estate.“Being involved in government is about building coalitions and I don’t begrudge anyone who has people who are supporting their campaign.”
“For myself personally, this campaign is about the fact that I feel that I have something to say and something to contribute to the discussion,” McLellan added.
The concept of endorsement is as old as the United States’ form of government, said Santa Monica College Political Science Professor Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein. Voters are more inclined to choose candidates who have a list of endorsements to their name, basically because the public does not have the time, nor the commitment to engage in all the issues.
Voters who make decisions based on endorsements do so because they trust the group that announces its support. These voters tend to agree with the politics of the group (i.e. — laborers supporting unions) and will trust that it is making the right decision in its endorsements, Tahvildaran- Jesswein said.
Endorsements can also help with a candidate’s name recognition among voters since political groups will likely financially support the candidate monetarily or through mailers and campaign signs. Santa Monicans for Sensible Priorities, for example, has endorsed City Council candidates Bob Holbrook and Terry O’Day, placing numerous signs around the city.
Political financing is a significant benefit in endorsements. Some of the political slates in town have deep pockets going into the hundreds of thousands of dollars range.
A SMRR campaign finance report covering contributions and expenditures made from Oct. 1 to Oct. 21, shows the political group has received more than $13,000 in donations and has spent more than $29,000. Its year-to-date statement shows SMRR has spent more than $100,000 this year.
The campaign finance report for SMSP shows the political action committee has received close to $400,000 this year, spending in excess of $320,000. All of its contributions have come from the Edward Thomas Management Co. — owners of the beachfront hotels Shutters and Casa del Mar.
Though City Council candidate Jenna Linnekens has not received endorsements by SMRR or other visible groups like the Chamber of Commerce, she feels confident heading into Tuesday’s election.
Linnekens said the positive feedback she received from the police and fire unions has given her the encouragement and confidence that her campaign will succeed. She has raised approximately $6,000.
“We’ve been creative with the money we have spent,” Linnekens said.
Charles Donaldson knows how hard it is to run without endorsements. The retired SMC professor lost an election in 2004 after receiving 11 percent of the vote for college board. Donaldson, a former president of the Santa Monica College Faculty Association, did not receive the endorsement of his own union, and to this day, doesn’t understand why.
“It’s obviously difficult. The SMRR endorsement in a local election is extremely important,” he said. “They have volunteers who can go door to door and make calls and have money to put out citywide fliers.”
But running in an election is something he would never take back.
“I think the problem now is we have so many groups spending so much money,” he said. “My mailbox was [jammed] with expensive fliers. I’m sure a lot of people would take it out and put it in the trash.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 2, 2006. Read the original PDF.