Conole’s campaign was as diverse as an entire season of NBC’s “Friends”
A candidate running for Congress in Central New York, especially in the 22nd Congressional District usually casts a wide net tying together diverse portions of this district into a formidable campaign strategy. If a Democrat is running, there’s usually a push to engage the African American Community.
In most general election public advertising, Francis Conole was never seen for any extended time with Black people. Let’s call a duck a duck, if it waddles and quacks, it’s a duck. While there may have been some unseen alliances, they never appeared in a public display of support. Conole’s campaign was as diverse as an entire season of NBC’s “Friends”.
There are multiple organizations targeting African American voters that spring into action around election time. These groups meet with their members on a regular basis and have worked on successful campaigns in the past. However, those campaigns choose to celebrate diversity of the district as opposed to hiding our mosaic of cultures under a bushel basket. You never heard a peep about an urban issue in a district that is home to some of the poorest Black people in America. We’re noted nationally for our statistics on concentrated poverty.
Traditionally, the democratic candidate would visit several large Black churches throughout the campaign flanked by their supporters. Conole made one announced visit to Living Water Church of God in Christ and that was it. No ground game involving Black churches, no get-out-the-vote efforts targeting the sizable Black populations that inhabit the urban areas of this newly drawn district.
You would think he would have embraced his own party. However, Conole was not visible at Onondaga Community College Presidential visit celebrating Micron building a microchip manufacturing facility in Central New York. His campaign appeared to treat President Biden as if he had cooties.
The “minority vote” was taken for granted as Conole armed himself with themes that played well to a suburban white audience. It’s political arrogance to think Black people will suddenly appear on Election Day and vote without being given a reason. This, center-right campaign forgot the people who could have put him over the top. Giving African Americans very little rhetoric designed to drive them to the polls. He offered nothing to the Black community. And that’s why he lost.
