Elections 2011: District Attorney

Evaluating Monroe County elections a few years ago, we concluded that for most races it came down to candidate, candidate, candidate.   In the race for District Attorney between Bill Taylor and Sandra Doorley, both parties nailed this one.

Democrat Doorley ran a solid campaign that maintained focus consistently, driving home a concept explainable in one word:   experience.   Republican Taylor also ran a very good campaign that hewed to message throughout:   I'll keep you safe.   Taylor emphasized as well the qualifications of his own experience.

In the end, voters decided either would keep them safe, but Doorley had more practice at it.

Having served as the sitting DA's understudy (as First Assistant DA) is a powerful argument.   Mike Green made it successfully in 2003 and Doorley repeated the feat.   It underpinned Doorley's collateral argument that she is successor to the tradition established by Mike Green and by Howard Relin before him, an idea voters liked.   It may have established her in the perception of many as a kind of virtual incumbent.

Perhaps more importantly, most voters don't know that the DA doesn't argue cases in court.   The DA manages an office full of people who do.   Therefore judgment, and managerial and people skills, which Taylor displayed abundantly as County Attorney -- head of another big law office -- are what matter.   TV ads featuring Doorley in full CSI/Marg Helgenberger impersonation may have been over the top, but played nicely on the popular misconception.   Which is what skillful campaigns do.

A Fair Campaign Committee decision against Taylor's advertising was absurd, but less so than the D&C's editorial comment this morning that it might have turned the race around from Taylor to Doorley.   Political insiders on both sides viewed the Taylor margin in the D&C's poll as suspect.   In any event, Doorley's margin of victory was sufficiently broad that it didn't turn on an FEPC decision.   It turned on the fact that Doorley closed the sale with voters.

From the perspective of Republican versus Democrat, voters chose the status quo.   Republicans had good reason to hope, with a great candidate for an open seat.   When you hope for a gain and have a decent chance, not getting it disappoints.   That disappointment was on display at the Radisson last night.

Looking at all races, however, the only change to Monroe County's political status quo yesterday was in favor of the GOP.   We'll explore this in upcoming postings.