It’s a pity that neither Stormy Dean’s run for governor of Nebraska nor Omaha Steaks heir Jim Simon’s congressional race ended victoriously: Direct marketing has been a hit-or-miss proposition in a number of congressional races this season.
Inbound telemarketing was a hit for Republican Rep. Clay Shaw (FL-22). Crooner Pat Boone attended a fundraiser at Shaw’s house, where he amused himself by picking up the phone each time it rang and announcing, "Hey, it’s Pat Boone." Democratic Rep. Champ Walker (GA-12), however, hit a snag with outbound telemarketing when he called Annette Carr. Carr listened to his fundraising appeal and then said, "I think the House is in good hands." Carr is a senior staffer to GOP Rep. Phil English (PA-3).
Another Democrat, Martin Frost of Texas’s twenty-fourth district, sent out an invitation to a fundraiser that asked respondents to RSVP as soon as possible to Lindsay Rachelefsky. The problem was that the response card accidentally listed "Crossfire" host Bill Press’s phone number. According to Press, after the first two dozen calls he started telling respondents that Lindsay was dead, and after the second two dozen calls he told callers that the event had been cancelled.
Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) merits mention for shameless exploitation of a family member. A fundraising letter ostensibly from his 11-year-old grandson asked lobbyists to send "Grandpa" a birthday card for his 60th birthday – and pointed out that including a campaign contribution would be extra special nice.
Two East Coast Democrats ran into trouble with photograph-based direct mail pieces. In Maryland’s eighth district, Democrat Chris Van Hollen sent out a mailer that featured a mock Time magazine cover, with his picture in the "Man of the Year" position. (Van Hollen had received a small mention in an issue.) Time’s lawyers contacted him and told him to cut it out.
In the New Jersey fifth, Republican-turned-Democrat Anne Sumers sent out a letter than included a photo of herself and retiring GOP rep. Marge Roukema to 80,000 independent and GOP households. Roukema noted that the picture was probably taken while Sumers was still a Republican.
Democratic Rep. Barney Frank (MA-4) described how he often uses poems to thank his campaign contributors. He is especially fond of limericks (There once was a congressman from Newton/whose friends kindly sent lots of loot in./So when the right-wingers/assailed him with zingers/his own horn he could afford to be tootin’) and haikus (Congressman B. Frank/asked his friends to send money/and was glad they did.) He likes these forms because they have "the enormous virtue of being a hell of a lot shorter than a sonnet."
George Gekas, a Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Democrat Tim Holden for the agrarian-based Pennsylvania seventeenth district, sent out a fundraising letter blasting Holden’s "decidedly anti-agriculture position on taxes, energy, expanded trade…." One of these letters was sent to "Tim Holden, U.S. Congressman" in St. Clair, PA. That would be the same Tim Holden who has served on the House Agricultural Committee since coming to Congress in 1992.
Finally, there is Rep. Max Sandlin, a Democrat who represents Texas’s first district. Sandlin earned Chile Pepper magazine’s "Zestiest Legislator" contest by eating eight hot peppers and chugging a bottle of Tabasco sauce. There’s nothing direct marketing related about this: I’m just amazed that he’s still alive.
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