Former candidates out of the spotlight

Katherine Johnson
Staff Columnist

As you probably haven’t heard, former Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain, will be making a stop in Richmond tomorrow for his “College Truth Tour.”

The tour emphasizes how the economy is negatively affecting recent college graduates. Cain is focusing on students because they will play a large role in determining the presidential election.

Cain didn’t move past the primary in his bid for president, and since then, much hasn’t been heard of him. Because of this, students aren’t aware of his tour, let alone the message he’s attempting to spread.

While Cain is right about job prospects for college graduates and young adults in general, he isn’t reaching as large an audience he would have a few months ago because he’s been out of the media’s spotlight.

If the press were more focused on Cain’s attempts, he would draw in a larger crowd at events and possibly change the minds of college students that are undecided or even supporting President Obama.

The economy is the number one issue for many voters this year. Listening to the back and forth arguments of the Romney and Obama campaigns discourages many. Instead of being educated, voters are left confused about fact and fiction and who to trust.

An outside opinion from a former candidate may influence some voters. The employment rate, job prospects and debt after graduation are critically important factors relevant to college students and the numbers can’t be argued with.

Cain, however, doesn’t have enough influence to change the election’s outcome; not because of what he’s pitching, but because of the lack of awareness.

Once finalized, the media focuses on the candidates from the two major political parties. Former candidates that lost out at the primary are left in the dust, as all attention is shifted to who will be on the ballot in November.

It’s often a criticism that the press doesn’t give coverage to candidates running from third parties, so how can it be expected that they’d give time to former candidates?

These people may have great insight into the race, or even the candidates themselves. While they no longer have a personal stake in the election, voters may be more willing to accept their message. They have nothing to lose by peppering their speech with talking points and all to gain by being brutally honest.

It’s unfortunate that once a candidate’s time is up in the race that they lose all relevance, and conversely, they lose their ability to directly impact elections.

Recently, the only former candidate that’s gone on to play a larger role has been Hilary Clinton. After Obama won out in 2008 for the Democrats, he chose Clinton to be his Secretary of State.

This is a rare occurrence, and it’s doubtful that Romney, if elected, would bring back a candidate from the primary for his cabinet. This is yet another reason to write former candidates off.

Cain definitely has an important message for college students but his influence won’t be felt due to an uninterested media and news consumers.
It’s up to Romney and Obama to provide the information for voters, which adds to the endless cycle and emphasize only those who will be on the ballot.