Do endorsements really matter during an election?

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Mace is adding another endorsement to her list just days before the November 8 election. Miami Mayor Frances Suarez announced Wednesday his endorsement of Rep. Mace in the First Congressional District race during an event held at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.

Mayor Suarez is yet another name added to the congresswoman’s list of endorsements which include high-profile names like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, Senator Rand Paul, Senator Mike Lee, to name a few.

“I promised to be an independent voice and not tow any party line. I would represent everybody in our district and Mayor Suarez represents those same values,” said Representative Mace.

“We’re here to return Nancy to Congress in the next week,” said Mayor Suarez. “It’s very important for me as a Republican to make sure the House and Senate stay under Republican control because thats the way we believe the country will move most effectively forward.”

For Rep. Mace and her campaign team, the endorsement is a major accomplishment in the political arena.

“Campaigns in general want endorsements. It helps to bolster their credentials,” said political analyst John Brisini.

But do endorsements really sway voters? Brisini says it depends.

Endorsements can mean a lot to some voters, and not much to others, particularly depending on the community ties of the endorser.

“If you see local officials that have got deep ties to the community coming out to endorse a candidate, those generally carry a little more weight than when we see candidates capturing these big national endorsements,” said Brisini.

The political analyst used Congressman James Clyburn’s endorsement of President Joe Biden in 2020 as an example.

“Congressman Clyburn remains a very popular figure among Democrats in South Carolina. That endorsement really helped President Biden to overwhelmingly win South Carolina and then go on to become President of the United States.”

On the flip side, another race that Brisini highlighted was a national endorsement: in the June 2022 primary between Rep. Mace and Katie Arrington, former President Donald Trump endorsed Arrington.

The former president backed Rep. Mace during her first campaign in 2018, when she was first elected to Congress, but pulled his endorsement for the June 2022 primary, instead backing Arrington.

Arrington ultimately lost the race to Rep. Mace.

“That’s an example of an endorsement that…did it help? Maybe for some voters. But it wasn’t enough to put her over the top.”

Brisini says endorsements can sway voters in many cases, but especially if they personally know, or trust, the endorser.

From the campaign perspective, endorsements are valued and used as a tool to convince undecided voters.

“If your opponent doesn’t have any or if they have very few, then that gives you an opportunity to say ‘see, these people support me. No one supports my opponent. This is one of the reasons you should back me.'”

Often with endorsements comes increased campaign funding which is another reason campaigns celebrate endorsements.

Brisini says only time and vote counts will tell if endorsements play into the upcoming election.

Election Day is Tuesday, November 8th.