What Gets Politicians Re-Elected

The other evening, I sat on the couch and read a story wrongly told. It was about a recent primary loss down south. The incumbent was outspent, the story went, the incumbent had extreme positions. The candidate who won had cash and moderateness on his side, the story explained.

And then, a throwaway line at the end about the incumbent's lackluster constituent services. But, the story assured, the real reason was cash and wrongheaded political stances.

Surely, those played a role, I thought as the moon rose out the window. But most often, what really gets politicians in Congress re-elected is not the bills they passed. The legislative branch is enacting just a hair more than zero bills. It's their constituent services.

If you need your passport renewed in a pinch, your U.S. Senator or Representative may be able to help. If your Social Security check or federal tax refund isn't showing up in your mailbox, give'em a buzz. If you can't get unemployment benefits or disability, why not give'em a call.

Every U.S. Senator and U.S. House Representative has a few patient caseworkers in their district offices whose sole job is helping constituents through the thicket of federal government red tape. And it's these caseworkers, much more than policy staff in D.C. (like what I was), who get politicians re-elected.

This kind of casework is nonpartisan. Years ago, I had a time-sensitive visa issue and a senior Senator who was a real zero on my scorecard. In desperation, I reached out to her office and her caseworker was whip smart, heartfelt, and provided game-changing help. Nobody cared about my voter registration.

It's not uncommon for people to say that they don't agree with Congresswoman X on much, but she helped their family with VA benefits. Or spousal benefits. Or disability. Or resolved an immigration issue.

That can lock in votes for a lifetime.

So it's fair to wonder if that politician down south had had a tighter constituent operation, if her office was better equipped to directly serve the voters, the election would've cut differently for her.

I closed down my laptop for the night, nodded goodnight to the moon. It's useful to remember that when it comes to policy, the truth is almost always more complicated, more interesting than a short article tells it.