Getting elected takes connections and cash. But some candidates also rely on the closest connection of all – mom – free of charge.
City Councilman David Yassky (D-Brooklyn) got his 86-year-old mother, Harriet, to help with his recent campaign for city comptroller. Harriet Yassky, a petite woman with red hair and a ton of energy, sent an email on his behalf, declaring, “My son has the honesty and integrity we need…a value we worked hard to instill in him growing up.”
“I think it adds a personal touch,” she said of the email.
Chicken Soup for the Pol
David Yassky finished second in the Sept. 15 Democratic primary, earning him a spot in the runoff two weeks later. But ultimately, all of a mother’s love – and campaigning – couldn’t get Yassky enough votes: He lost by 12 percentage points to City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing).
So does bringing in mom help? As many moms would say about chicken soup, it can’t hurt, noted veteran political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, who worked on Mayor Bloomberg’s 2005 campaign.
“If your campaign has merit, mom can become part of the ensemble,” Sheinkopf said. “Moms add texture in a way that no campaign ads can.”
Mother of All Campaigns
Alfonse D’Amato’s mother, Antoinette, famously helped him rise from obscure Long Island politician to the U.S. Senate three decades ago, filming television commercials that portrayed her as kind of New York Everymom.
Mayor Bloomberg has relied on his 100-year-old mother, Charlotte, to help rally support for his re-election campaign. At a recent event in Chinatown, Bloomberg got a round of applause from senior citizens when he spoke about going to temple with his mom.
“It’s time for us to remember how much our parents and grandparents have done for us, and all that we owe them for the sacrifices they made,” he said.
Corrections and Elections
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens, Brooklyn) is known for asking his mother, Frances, for advice. She was often at his side as he ran for mayor in 2005 and even heckled him when he misspoke during a speech, noting his comment that “only Spanish is taught in New York City public schools” was wrong. The former teacher pointed out that Latin and other languages were offered in some public schools.
But sometimes, inserting mothers into the campaign fray can spur a more embarrassing kind of correction. Liu’s campaign created an ad saying he worked at a Flushing sweatshop with his mother as boy, only to have her deny the account.
The flap apparently didn’t hurt his campaign, and he is expected to easily win the November general election. Repeated calls to Liu’s campaign headquarters and district office were not returned.
‘Feeling of Togetherness’
Stanley Renshon, a psychologist at the City University of New York who has written extensively on the psychology of political campaigns, said while it’s common for candidates to evoke images of motherhood, there is little evidence that doing so actually helps garner votes.
“Candidates need to pull in all of the resources they can,” Renshon said. “There is a feeling of togetherness when mom is mentioned, but overall the effect is a small one.”
Voters say they take many other factors into consideration.
“He is the one doing the job, not his mom,” said Theresa Chase, 46, a healthcare union worker who supports Bloomberg.
(Additional reporting by H’rina DeTroy)
