Comments on Congress: Elections are a dialogue

We’re almost to Labor Day and what is traditionally considered the heart of election season. It’s the moment, according to political lore, when most Americans start paying attention to electoral contests. This may or may not be true, but here’s one thing I think we can count on: This is when politicians seeking office are most eager to understand the mood and concerns of the electorate.

There’s a widely held belief that campaigning is a one-way street: Candidates for office tell us what they think, and voters either reward or punish them. It’s easy to see why so many people see campaigns that way. Candidates give stump speeches, flood the airwaves and online media with advertising, sometimes hold debates during which they try to sway undecided voters, and in general are a ubiquitous presence in the run-up to voting. They fight for the media’s attention.

So, campaign coverage often makes it seem as though voters themselves are an after-thought or, at best, a backdrop — unless something unusual happens as a politician is out campaigning. But let me assure you, however voters are portrayed by the media, they are anything but an after-thought to a politician stumping for office.

I’m not just talking about polling here. Yes, an aggregate picture of what’s on voters’ minds does matter to candidates and their advisers. But so does what they hear from voters as they’re out and about — in the VFW or union halls, at community suppers, stopping by diners, walking around county fairs. Good politicians want to know what’s on their potential constituents’ minds. It helps them calibrate their own thinking, develop campaign strategies, and, in an ideal world, become better representatives.

And there’s no question that people have a lot on their minds. Crime, immigration, the border, the economy, education, climate change, abortion, overseas conflicts — most voters possess a broad array of concerns. The best politicians understand that public sentiment is usually nuanced, and that to strike a posture that all is rosy or that all is lost rarely fits with voters’ beliefs and experiences. The world is more complicated than that, and so are voters’ agendas.

To be sure, there will always be voters who care about a single issue more than any other. This year, as in the past, abortion and abortion rights appear to be big motivators for some people. Similarly, I’ve no doubt that climate change will be top-of-mind for others.

There will be other important concerns. For some voters, it will be personal safety; for others, a sense that the borders are secure. For still others, it’ll be education. I think we can expect voters to pay attention broadly to whether inflation is coming down and to any signs of an economic slowdown. And while foreign policy often takes a back seat, for presidential and congressional candidates, I suspect voters will be looking closely at what they say about the US role in a world riven by conflict.

It’s true that sometimes, voters care less about public policy than they do about intangibles. I’m convinced that likability matters a great deal when voters step into the polling booth. Though it might not override everything else, I’d argue that candidates who are positive, constructive, forward-looking, and make us feel hopeful will always have a leg up over their opponents. Similarly, I’m convinced that Americans on the whole prefer candidates who display a basic sense of decency, who show compassion for others who are struggling, and who show that they understand the concerns of ordinary people.

Yet wherever your own focus lies, this is the time when politicians at every level are listening. Even candidates who might not agree with you are still paying attention — as long as your interactions with them remain civil. So if you have a chance to hear candidates for Congress or your state legislature, give them a chance to hear what’s on your mind, too.

Lee Hamilton was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years. He is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government and a professor at the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs.