Endorsement watch: Edwards for Adams, HPOU for Sullivan

Wanda Adams picked up a nice endorsement this week:

Councilwoman Ada Edwards has endorsed Wanda Adams to succeed her as the city's representative of District D.

Edwards, who has served on the council for a maximum three terms, was joined at a news conference this week by Councilwoman Sue Lovett, Harris County Precinct 7 Constable May Walker and leaders of two organizations also endorsing Adams in the Nov. 6 election.

Adams, a recycling education coordinator for the city, is one of seven candidates vying for Edwards' seat in District D. The district runs from Montrose in the north to the Beltway area in the south and west to Missouri City.

Edwards praised Adams' work ethic, integrity and communication skills during her years as a community liaison for the city.

"She has worked with the community, she knows almost every civic club member by name, especially every civic club president," Edwards said.

Also endorsing Adams were Maria Gonzalez, vice president of the Houston Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Political Caucus, and Preston Roe, president of the Greater OST/South Union Super Neighborhood.

My interview with Adams is here. Elsewhere in endorsement news, District E candidate Michael Sullivan received the nod from the Houston Police Officers Union.

The endorsement, one of only two offered by the union so far this election cycle, means Sullivan can tout the support of police officers when stumping in Clear Lake, Kingwood and other neighborhoods in the district. It also means he can count on union members to work the polls for him on Election Day.

[...]

The union also has endorsed District I candidate James Rodriguez, but has yet to weigh in publicly on the other open races.

Some say endorsements don't matter that much:

beyond a newspaper headline, do endorsements matter?

Not really, says Kent Tedin, a professor of political science at the University of Houston who co-authored American Public Opinion: Its Origins, Contents and Impact.

In polls, about 60 percent of voters say they are not influenced by endorsements, and those who are influenced generally cancel each other out, Tedin says.

Not even a blessing from Oprah Winfrey, who is backing Sen. Barack Obama for president, would sway many voters, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Tedin was speaking about the HISD bond package, which is a slightly different case than these examples. I personally think that in low-information, smaller-dollar races that endorsements do make a difference, and I think that's even more so when they come with financial and/or operational support. We'll see if they matter here.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 05, 2007 to Election 2007