Walz and The Electoral Connection
(Walz meets with farmers while on the campaign trail)
The electoral connection is a theory proposed by David R. Mayhew. This theory states that congresspeople are all single minded seekers of reelection.
The next couple of paragraphs will apply this theory to representative Walz in 3 different concepts; advertising, position taking, and credit claiming.
Advertising: Walz also uses his position in the house to get his name out to constituents. This month he is hosting a town hall meeting in Rochester, MN to meet with voters and to get his name out to the people of his district. He is meeting with these people to find out what issues interest them and to also find things that people want his to bring to congress.
Name recognition is a huge desired for some people when it comes to voting. People vote for the people they know; so it makes sense that Walz wants to get his name out to them in the form of a town hall meeting. People are more likely to vote for him if they know who he is.
Position Taking: In a recent press release Walz called for a committee to be created in order to figure out Russia's involvement in the 2016 election. In doing this representative Walz is taking a stance against Russia. Most voters and the majority of America in his district would view this as a good stance to take. They would agree with Walz when he says "The American people not only deserve to know how the United States was attacked in the 2016 election but also who all is responsible for assault on the heart of our democratic institutions." The whole nation would agree that this issue needs to be figures out. John Mccain even said that this issue is bigger then "any single act of terror."
It is safe to say that when Walzs takes this stance he is keeping his constituents in mind and in turn the next election. He is going to use this stance to try and get votes.
Credit Claiming: Walz, being a veteran himself, has placed veteran care high on his list of issues. In 2015 Walz authored a bill that was designed to lower the rates of veteran suicide. This bill, called The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, passed by a vote of 99-0 in the senate and 403-0 in the house. There wasn't a single vote cast against this law. Walz has used this as an example to his constituents that he can get the job done, that he can reach across the aisle and make a bill that everyone can agree on.
Walz has used this bill as an example that he can get things done in congress. He wants his constituents to know that he authored a bill that passed this last legislative session. He is and will continue to try and get votes out of this situation.
Below is a photo of him (far right) attending an event at the White House where president Obama signed his bill into law.
Walz is also a member of the House Agriculture Committee. Being on this committee gives his great power over policy in the realm of farming. Since farming is a big industry in his district Walz is very committed to helping the industry with legislation.
In 2014 he was ecstatic when he pushed a new farm bill through congress. This bill benefited farmers in his district. Walz has also used this as an example of him getting things done in congress. Just the year before in 2013 he voted to bring the bill to the floor of the house.
Walz has used the farm billed that was passed in 2014 as an example of him representing the people that voted him in. The bill directly benefits voters in his district. This will help him win votes among farmer and help him win the election.
The video below shows Walz addressing the House about what he calls a "broken" farm bill. This video proves that Walz is committed to issues in Agriculture.
Conclusion: Walz does things that his constituents want. He really makes an effort to understand the people that he is representing; this is evident in the town hall meetings that he hosts. He also then goes to work for the people that he represents; this is evident in the farm bill and the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act.
It is evident that Walz is doing this in order to get reelected (why else would he do these things that do not directly benefit him). This makes sense. The people elect him so he wants to take up the issues of the people that he represents in order to get a good result on election night.
