Swann’s fame won’t help on Election Day

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann may need his celebrity status as a Super Bowl… Republican gubernatorial candidate Lynn Swann may need his celebrity status as a Super Bowl champion to help him win the upcoming election, but even that might not be enough to help him achieve victory in November.

Three Pennsylvania university professors reinforced Swann’s plight. They also said that in all likelihood Swann will not win against the incumbent Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, who is ahead in the polls.

Although Swann’s celebrity status might increase the number of votes that he receives, it would only increase his vote count from around 25 percent to about 35 percent of the vote, said Pitt political science professor Dave Barker.

Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College, said that Swann’s name recognition “won’t matter.”

“A lot of people who aren’t football fans won’t know Swann,” Madonna said. “Around Sept. 2, 2006, 35 percent of voters didn’t know enough about Swann to have an opinion on him. In March of 2005, it was 63 percent. Now it’s probably down to 15 percent due to ads, as compared to the only 3 percent of voters who don’t know Rendell.”

Pat Dunham, professor and chair of electoral politics and journalism at Duquesne University, said Swann’s name recognition is important. Challengers for state representative are unknown, so incumbents tend to be re-elected, she said.

Because gubernatorial races are statewide, the people who run tend to be well-known. Candidates don’t have much time to get the attention of voters, who often have a low level of knowledge about the candidates, she said.

She talked about what Swann’s celebrity does to aid his campaign and how it raises the consciousness of voters.

“They can envision him,” Dunham said. “It puts him in a better position than a candidate who comes out of nowhere.”

Barker compared this race to the close, contentious Senate race between incumbent Republican Rick Santorum and his Democratic challenger Bob Casey. Recent polls show that Santorum is behind by double-digit percentage points.

“[Swann] has less of a chance of winning than Santorum does,” Barker said. “Maybe in a different year, a different time or against a different opponent, but not this year.”

The Republicans are disadvantaged, and the climate is bad right now for Republicans, he said.

“Rendell is viewed as a very successful governor, and he’s popular,” Barker said. “Lynn Swann is not going to win this election.”

Beyond political analysis, knowing the political views and policies of the candidates can be crucial to the decision-making process for the election. These policies and the candidates’ stances are listed in the chart below. The election will be held on Nov. 7, 2006.

ISSUE SWANN RENDELL Health Care

Enact lawsuit abuse reforms

Provide Pennsylvanians access to quality health care. Impose a cap on non-economic damage awards in civil suits. Would like to enact a state-wide smoking ban. Make health insurance affordable to every family in Pennsylvania. Education

Reform of educational spending to invest in classrooms, not administration. Require all children to demonstrate grade-level skills in reading and math before promotion to fourth grade.

Reduce tuition increases. Last year, tuition increases for public universities were under 3 percent. Wants to enable every public high school student to have a laptop to use. Anti-Crime

Hire up to 5,000 new law enforcement officers across the Commonwealth by 2010. Crack-down on ‘straw’ gun purchasers with harsher penalties.

Reduce the availability of illegal firearms.

Supports gun laws that protect citizens’ rights while cracking down on straw purchasers who flood communities with illegal weapons. Added more than 200 more officers to patrol the streets. Veterans

Fully fund the Disabled Americans Hospital Transportation Network and other important veterans’ programs. Preserve and defend our overseas military’s right to vote. Wants to support veterans possibly through bonuses, protecting the voting rights of soldiers serving abroad, offering tax abatements and educational opportunities to veterans and their families. Economy

Returning the Personal Income Tax (PIT) to 2.8% Ending regulatory abuse .

Created more than 133,000 new jobs since he took office. Economic stimulus package will enable more than $650 million of venture capital investment in new and growing companies The views represented in this table came from the candidates’ Web sites and from a recent debate held at Point Park University. To get a complete understanding of the candidates’ views, go to www.swannforgovernor.com and www.rendellforgovernor.com.