Last week, Appleton’s Post Crescent newspaper reported that Reid Ribble had sold his business to campaign full-time for the Republican nomination to take on Steve Kagen. The article notes that Ribble sold his roofing companies (I didn’t realize he had more than one!) to his nephew.
I don’t know whether or not this was a smart business decision for Ribble, but politically it was definitely the right thing to do, both in terms of appearances and practicality. Not only did it garner him some favorable press coverage, but it really will give Ribble more time to focus on pounding the pavement and meeting residents of the district, something Ribble currently is not.
Meeting voters is a huge component of locally-oriented campaigns. The average voter doesn’t start paying attention to the more minor races–that includes party primaries for Congress–until a few weeks out. The only thing that can engage them, in most cases, is the candidate himself (or herself). If a candidate shows up at your doorstep, you can’t help but notice.
I have not yet met Ribble, but I’m told he plays fairly well in person. He’s down-to-earth, straight-forward, and comes across as totally committed to the race albeit without the polish developed through years of politicking. Now, with the added time to campaign, we’ll see if he and his message resonates with voters.
The press coverage isn’t all favorable though. Towards the end of the article, the paper raises a key issue that could become bigger over time: Ribble still isn’t a resident of the 8th district. This throws some cold water on the fact that he’s campaigning full-time. The average voter reading the article (if they make it all the way through) will probably think: I like that he’s fully committed to this endeavor, but I’m a little confused that he doesn’t even live in the district.
Ribble blames the residency issue on the weak housing market–he hasn’t been able to sell the house where he currently lives just outside the district. His defense will work to a point. However, unless he moves into the district fairly soon, this will be an easily sound-bited line of attack, which his primary opponents can broach without touching on more complex issues surrounding government experience and ideology.
Whether or not living in the district is really an issue worth raising is open to debate. Do the pressing matters of the day for the region, state, and country suddenly change if you go five miles down the road? Of course not. But congressional districts do elect candidates to represent that one specific district so it only makes sense if the representative lives there. (It’s a bit like the principle of those governing having to abide by the laws they make.)
Hopefully, Ribble will find a place within the 8th district soon so this small matter this cleared up and the real issues the race should be focused on can rise to the forefront. Until then, however, I think it will be a minor distrction that could possible morph into a more major one the longer it lingers.
