Something is missing from the #MplsMayor race
I’m not involved in this race. (There were some legacy passwords and stuff that I turned over recently to the Hodges campaign from four years ago when I was a part of her communications team, but I’m not involved.) I live in Stillwater now (Come say hi; we have a new bridge!). Plastic bags and menthol cigarettes are not controversial here and I’m way at peace with that. When I buy my Kools, I specifically ask that they be placed in a plastic bag.
That being said… I’m still paying attention to the race. It’s an off-year. I cut the cord. It’s more interesting than baseball. Who knows why?
But I have friends on the inside and we gossip, and what they’re saying lines up with what I’m seeing Facebook: Things are getting stabby.
Stabby? That’s not what it felt like in ‘13? Well, that’s not true, it was still a political campaign. There might have been a dartboard with one person’s picture on it. Maybe. But overall it wasn’t stabby. There were 35 candidates and with ranked-choice voting (RCV) we understood that we weren’t going to get everyone’s 1st-choice vote. There was a pirate. There was that guy that came walking out the lake spouting gibberish and drinking coffee. THERE WAS A REPUBLICAN!!! Well, he didn’t run as a Republican, but we see you, Cam. We see you.
Now, we new we weren’t going to get the 1st-choice vote of Minneapolis’ pirate fans, gibberish fans, or certifiably insane voters, but we could get their 2nd-choice, and with the perceived frontrunner being so well funded, the choice was made early that #2’s were worth fighting for. Seemed pretty obvious, really.
And this is one of the reasons I liked — and still like — RCV is that it rewards candidates that humble themselves and say, “Well, if I can’t be your #1, I’d be honored to be your #2.” I heard this said at forums and at parades and in the media, and I’ll tell you what, it feels like a warm and civil blanket is being wrapped around you when you hear it. Tired of divisive politics, average Minneapolis voter? Try this on.
Now, of course this is all messaging that’s been decided on earlier so that you can ultimately rise to #1, but who cares, the blanket was warm. But it’s true, I’ve seen it. Seen ’em nod their heads. She ain’t too proud to ask for a #2.
Fast forward to 2017.
Everyone seems real proud this time.

This recent uptick in mud being slung is sooooo petty. It’s a bunch of people arguing about the dumbest shit and things are getting tribal. Affluent yuppies in the sw corner of the city are for Betsy, developers and condo-dwellers are for Jacob, Our Revolution is for Raymond, and social justice/BLM voters for for Nekima. Tom Barnard and people too scared to go downtown are apparently for Tom Hoch. (David Brauer categorizes their probable support better than I do.)
Awesome, each one of you has a base. Now grow it. Make a coalition like a politician. There’s a ton of overlap on these pretty arbitrary groups that I just (recklessly) identified, and the votes are right there if you ask for it.
Worried about the optics of asking to be somebody’s second choice? Here’s a baby step: Ask to be their first choice…you know, first. Asking to be someone’s #1 is a subtle way of saying, “but I’d also be happy being your #2.” It shows that respect RCV and the voters that decided it was a better way to elect people.
But nobody’s using this messaging, at least not what I’m seeing on their social media or websites, and it’s changing the tone of this campaign compared to the last one. (Strib’s Maya Rao on everyone playing nice in ‘13).


Acknowledging RCV by asking to be someone’s #1 (although I’d take it further and prepare to use the #2 arrow in the quiver, too) in your messaging is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit out there. And right now, in an election where no one seems to be able to make any distinctions between the candidates, you’d be the first to seize it.
It’ll feel weird, but it’s akin to debate prep when you anticipate the question “tell me something you like about your opponent.” Practice makes perfect.
Try it, it’s easy.
