It’s on! The media’s hunt to locate – and coin a snappy moniker for—2008’s must-get swing vote (that subset of the population who, by dint of sharing a single trait, might be counted on to vote monolithically and therefore swing the election to their chosen candidate.)
Election 2004 saw, among others, Strip Club Dads, Hook and Bullet voters, and WINDOWS (widowed, independent, on-their-own women) all ID’s at some point by the press as the Voter To Get.
And this year? “The Vanna Vote.” According to CNN yesterday: “Election 2008 is all about game show watchers and connecting with them.” Specifically, apparently, Clinton, McCain and Obama have together spent more on ad buys during Wheel of Fortune than any other single TV show.
Further, “Local newscasts are like a magnet for political dollars. The three remaining candidates have spent a combined $36.7 million to buy time on local news since the start of the campaign.” The Ron Burgundy vote, also a force to be reckoned with this year, if ad dollars are any indication.
Liz Cox Barrett is a writer at CJR.