Do voters really care about political endorsements?
So we're deep into political season in Northwest Indiana, and party apparatuses and local officials are lining up behind candidates for everything from county surveyor to president of the United States.
Several local mayors have endorsed either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.
Every few days, a municipal Democratic organization will announce the results of its "slating," endorsements for all the offices on the May 6 primary ballot.
But does the average voter really give a hang?
I suppose a party endorsement locally translates to a built-in campaign organization willing to go door-to-door canvassing or distributing yard signs.
But when people in Highland step into the voting booth, are they thinking "I really respect my precinct organization's opinion about who would make the best Lake County commissioner?
When voters in Portage consider their presidential options, do they wonder "Who will fix the economy? Who will correctly handle the war? Who does Mayor Olga Velazquez endorse?"
Or are these endorsements just so much political glad-handing?
