"Glossy magazine profiles" and "soft press coverage" didn’t help Beto O’Rourke and Stacey Abrams win over voters in their respective red-leaning states, one Politico analysis suggested.
The media outlet examined why the two former Democratic superstars trailed behind their Republican opponents in the upcoming November election, where O’Rourke will face off with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Abrams will engage in a rematch with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.
"O’Rourke hasn’t led in a single survey since he announced his candidacy last November, and Abrams is barely doing better," Politico’s deputy editor Calder McHugh, noted, despite the pair being Democratic Party favorites in 2018. That may in part have been the problem, McHugh argued.
"Their anointment as the future of the Democratic Party — young, dynamic and erudite — led to glossy magazine profiles and soft press coverage that may have burnished their national profiles, but did little to advance their prospects among voters who weren’t already inclined to support them," the piece read.
The Washington Post dressed Abrams up as a superhero in one of those over-the-top glossy magazine profiles when she was competing to be Joe Biden's Vice President in the 2020 campaign.
In addition, the outspoken liberals may have turned off voters in their red-leaning states by taking unpopular stances on hot-button issues. The Politico piece referenced one 2019 presidential debate moment when O’Rourke told the audience, "Hell yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."
"Back home in gun-friendly Texas, that position didn’t resonate nearly as well," the journalist argued.
Abrams refusing to admit she lost her 2018 race against Kemp also hurt her politically, according to Politico.
"For her part, Abrams was haunted by the conclusion of the 2018 governor’s race, where she initially refused to concede, alleging voter suppression and that the result didn’t accurately reflect the will of the people. She’s been explaining herself ever since, aiming to draw a distinction between her position and the accusations of election fraud made by former President Donald Trump," McHugh wrote.
"O’Rourke and Abrams are now trying to stuff the genie back into the bottle," he concluded, referring to efforts each Democrat's campaign has made to appeal to independent voters.
Thursday, The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler also argued Abrams history of playing up "stolen election" claims after that 2018 race were now hurting her because of 2020 election rhetoric from Donald Trump.
"But what might have appeared at the time as a savvy appeal to voters who felt disenfranchised looks different now that Trump and his GOP allies have taken election denialism to a dangerous new level," he critiqued.
