Endorsements are one of the ways voters learn who candidates are and what they stand for. They can be particularly useful for voters in two types of elections: in partisan primaries, when voters may find it difficult to discern differences between candidates with the same party affiliation, and in nonpartisan local elections, when party labels don't appear on the ballot and little other information is available about each candidate. A number of both types of elections took place on Aug. 4.
Ballotpedia tracks endorsements from organizations we call Recognized Endorsement Contributors (RECs): groups including from political action committees, local associations, unions, media editorial boards, and more that publicly support candidates and communicate those choices to voters. In the Aug. 4 statewide elections, we tracked 2,842 endorsements from 566 RECs across five states: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington. These included 917 endorsements of candidates in local races.
Partisan primaries
In partisan primaries, endorsements can help voters discern meaningful differences between candidates who otherwise share the same party affiliation: differences in policies, approaches to electability, commitment to principles, and more.
One such example from Aug. 4 was the Democratic primary for District 8 in the Michigan House of Representatives. Different RECs supported the two candidates who received the most votes in this primary:
- Chris Gilmer-Hill, who won the primary with 48.8% of the vote, was endorsed by Metro Detroit chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and Run For Something.
- State Rep. Helena Scott, who finished second with 43.0% of the vote, was endorsed by the Michigan AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and the Detroit Free Press Editorial Board.
We identified 10 RECs that issued more than 50 endorsements each in these primary elections. The table below displays the organizations and their endorsee success rates. Candidates endorsed by these organizations won 85% of their races, lost 11%, and the remaining races were uncalled.
Among these organizations, three endorsed candidates from multiple political parties in these partisan primaries:
- Kansas Farm Bureau’s Voters Organized To Elect Farm Bureau Friends (VOTE FBF): Endorsed 36 Democratic candidates and 87 Republican candidates.
- Michigan Farm Bureau AgriPAC: Endorsed 22 Democratic candidates and 82 Republican candidates.
- United Auto Workers: Endorsed 84 Democratic candidates and one Republican candidate.
The remaining organizations endorsed candidates from one major political party in these partisan primaries. The table below displays the partisan affiliation for all candidates endorsed by these 10 RECs.
Endorsements by these 10 RECs were mostly in state primaries (754), followed by federal primaries (83). Three of the 10 RECs — the United Auto Workers, Right to Life of Michigan PAC, and the Mamdanification Sway voting group — issued endorsements in local-level races. The table below displays endorsements issued by these RECs by level of government.
Local primaries
Endorsements can also be particularly helpful in local primaries, which are often officially nonpartisan. In these instances, endorsements can help voters understand where a candidate may fall along more traditional party lines.
A helpful case study from the Aug. 4 primaries was in Jackson, Michigan, a town of about 31,000 people as of the 2020 census. Although the race was officially nonpartisan, two candidates received endorsements from people and groups who typically align with one of the major political parties:
- Derek Dobies, who finished first and advanced from the primary, received endorsements from a pair of sitting Democratic state representatives and the local AFL-CIO.
- Christy Davis, who finished fourth in the primary, received an endorsement from Right to Life of Michigan, a group that most commonly endorses Republican-aligned candidates.
Similarly, two of the four candidates in the top-two primary for Clark County Council District 1 in Washington received competing endorsements. Clark County is Washington’s southernmost county and was its fifth-most populous (about 503,000 people) as of the 2020 census:
- Bryan Shull, who finished second and advanced from the primary, received an endorsement from the Clark County Republican Party.
- Dusti Arab, who finished third in the primary, received endorsements from the Alliance for Gun Responsibility Victory Fund and Washington Conservation Action, which most commonly endorse Democratic-aligned candidates.
Endorsements also played a role in nonpartisan judicial primaries on Aug. 4. Two candidates received endorsements in the Oakland County Probate Court primary in Michigan. Oakland County contains the northern Detroit suburbs and had a population of 1.3 million as of the 2020 census:
- Elisabeth Dery, who won the primary, received endorsements from a pair of sitting Democratic legislators and the Unity Fund Detroit Tri-County LGBTQ+ PAC.
- Jessica Ann Hallmark, who finished second in the primary, received endorsements from the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan and a local Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers union.
Endorsements are statements or actions that an individual or group provides in support of a candidate, but they are also much more than that. Endorsements reveal alliances, ideological leanings, and potential policy priorities in ways that campaign platforms and quotes from a candidate sometimes can’t. Endorsements also play a practical role in campaigns. Many endorsers — especially for statewide and national candidates — can provide candidates with volunteer support, access to possible campaign donors, and give candidates a degree of credibility and notoriety.
Ballotpedia is tracking endorsements made by organizations in races at all levels of government, with a particular focus on groups that endorse candidates at the local level. Endorsements are one component of Ballotpedia's goal to provide robust information — data that helps voters understand who a candidate is and what their political philosophy is — for every office on the ballot.