In case you’ve forgotten, Dave Westlake is still running for the Republican Party for Sen. Russ Feingold’s seat in 2010. I know it might have been easy to forget about Dave Westlake…heck, I almost did, once I heard Terrence Wall might be running for the GOP, but rest assured, Dave Westlake is still running for the U.S. Senate.
However, just in case folks have started to forget that Westlake’s still a candidate, he’s implemented a new campaign gimmick sure to ensure he wins in 2010:
The Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold plans to wear blaze orange at every campaign appearance between now and the 2010 election.
It helps that the Watertown business owner and political newcomer is an avid hunter. The super-bright color is worn by deer hunters because it stands out when the bullets start flying.
Westlake bought a blaze orange shirt on Saturday and wore it to two Republican rallies that day.
The response was so positive, Westlake says he decided to wear the same shirt again at a Sunday rally. He intends to wear blaze orange at all future campaign events.
Says Westlake, “We want people to be able to find me.”
Now here’s what I find interesting about the blaze orange shirt gimmick….it flies directly in the face of Westlake’s campaign website, which promises, “No Gimmicks. No Hidden Agenda. No Fear of Standing Up for What’s Right.” Perhaps Dave Westlake and his crack campaign staff don’t think wearing a blaze orange shirt at every campaign event qualifies as a gimmick, but to those of us normal everyday folks, that sure seems like a gimmick.
And since Dave Westlake is going to wear blaze orange so people can find him here’s my challenge to you all…can you find Dave Westlake?
I’m sure the blaze orange idea sounded like a good idea right now, but what about next year’s events in the summer? It might work if that becomes his campaign color — like his t-shirts and signs are blaze orange. Only in Wisconsin I guess!
Feingold is no stranger to gimmicks — remember the painting of his garage door? Holding up his hand as a makeshift map of the state? But I do have a hunch he probably won’t need to get too creative this time.