Local vs. National

According to Paul S. Herrnson "congressional elections are usually fought on local issues" (p.88). Which is why I find it especially interesting that National issues seem to be coming up frequently in this campaign between Rodriquez and Canseco.

On Canseco main website there's a section which specifically speaks about "issues" And like the readings suggested, I too assumed that almost all of the issues discussed would be focused on district 23's most prioritized concerns. However, most of the concerns that come up are actually big national issues that have been very controversial in the past few months such as the health care reform , terrorism, illegal immigration etc. I find it interesting that when you read about these topics that Canseco posts he also frequently touches upon "the democrats in congress/Washington". Which directs the readers focus not only to larger national topics but also the two parties in general. Canseco Website

However, Ciro on the other hand according to his Facebook page seems to focus on talking mainly about the local issues and his voting in Washington and the effect of it on his district.Ciro Website

I find these differences between local and national very interesting But i also feel that there are logical reasons as to why each candidate chooses to focus on one. In regards to Ciro he is the incumbent and has already been in this position, therefore he has actual data and information that he can bring back to the people. Not to mention that once voted in people expect news from him as to what he's doing for their district. Whereas with Canseco, he hasn't been in Ciro's position before and he's trying to reel people in, so it's probably very strategic for him to talk about big issues that people will feel strongly about and align themselves with him.

I think it's going to be very interesting to see if both candidates continue to focus on different issues, or if they will meet on one common issue eventually.