I was about to write a lament about how local politicians “these days” (“these days” is a requisite phrase for a lament from someone my age and older) don’t give out little logo items when they campaign door to door. Not that I want any. Nobody really wants a plastic back scratcher or a paper fan, right? Back in the day (another requisite phrase for this type of complaint) candidates would come to the front door, say something friendly and hand out a little token like an oven mitt, dish towel or even a plastic fly swatter that bore their campaign logo. But nowadays (there’s that third phrase that makes it a generational grumble), all you get is a glossy heavy-stock flier rubber-banded to your gate. Maybe the rubber band is the gift and the glossy flyer can be used to swat flies.
I started asking around. Perhaps folks in other neighborhoods and on other islands are getting campaign swag.
As it turns out, the tradition lives on.
This year, candidates gave out oven pads, reusable shopping bags and jar openers. Lots of jar openers.
Also the old favorites — fridge magnets and calendars —were left by gates or on porches.
Some candidates went for deep symbolism and gave out packets of seeds or collections of recipes that brought to mind things like family dinners, shared abundance, health and home.
Democratic candidate for Congress Beth Fukumoto came up with a clever memento to hand to potential voters. Her campaign gave out single packets of ramen noodles decorated with stickers that read, “Saimin Says… vote for Beth.” Fukumoto didn’t win her primary, but while a glossy flyer might go straight into the trash without a second look, most people will happily accept a package of ramen.
In the primary race for House District 48, which covers the windward side from Kaneohe to Kahaluu, candidate Jessica Wooley gave out oven pads while Lisa Kitagawa handed out rice scoopers. While these items seem comparable, Kitagawa won the seat outright on primary night.
As with many things in political campaigning, it is unclear if such small tokens have any effect on winning voters’ support. My grandmother used to have a favorite oven mitt that bore a certain politician’s name and likeness, a person she would never vote for in a million years, but oh how she enjoyed pressing the image of his face onto a hot pan.
For some candidates, having trinkets to hand out during canvassing expeditions is too expensive for their campaign budget. Walking a neighborhood is trickier now, too, with locked gates and alarm systems, guard dogs and secured mail slots. And besides, does anyone really need leaky pens, chip clips so flimsy they can’t handle a party-size bag of Kirkland tortilla strips or another magnet to leave a rusty mark on the fridge? Nope. But if a rice scooper or jar opener just showed up rubber-banned to your front gate, you might secretly be a little bit delighted.
Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.
