Russell: Looks, Loot, and Swing Voters

Brigette Russell

Capitol Report New Mexico -  I was surprised last week by the responses I had in person, e-mail and Facebook to the somewhat playful column I wrote about the physical attractiveness of candidates. I had thought it was a fluff piece, but it sparked quite a few interesting conversations with friends who normally do not follow politics and find my columns about the insolvency of public employee retirement systems and tax increases tiresome. The column also started a conversation with a young woman who is as politically active as I am, and who was insistent that a candidate’s attractiveness was completely irrelevant to her, and would have no impact whatsoever in how she voted. Of course it wouldn’t. I never meant to imply that it would. Voters like her, committed ideologues, whether conservative or progressive, will always vote on the issues. They would vote for a candidate who shared their principles even if he looked like the Elephant Man and was running against the winner of a Brad Pitt look-alike contest. Read full column here: News New Mexico

Russell: Looks, Loot, and Swing Voters