Dwight's Plight

Dwight Evans is doing so many things right, but so few people seem to be noticing.

by Anonymous

It is impossible to think about a campaign and a candidate without reviewing the totality of their actions. In a well-run campaign, almost everything a candidate does and says is targeted toward assembling enough votes to win on election day. So why is it that Dwight Evans is doing so many things right, but so few people seem to be noticing?

Evans is perfectly positioned on the issues. His long record of fighting gun violence — the No. 1 issue among voters, according to polls — is unparalleled in the race. He has a real record of fiscal discipline at a time when the city faces tight fiscal fortunes. He has a record of working with Democrats and Republicans to get things done. Even difficult things, such as the takeover of the schools.

Evans gathered more signatures on his petitions than any other mayoral candidate aside from Bob Brady, who had almost the entire Democratic ward structure behind him. This shows real organizational muscle. It's even more impressive when you consider that Tom Knox was reportedly paying people $2 for every valid signature they brought in.

He has hired a real team of campaign professionals, including media consultant Steve Murphy. His television ads, which aren't on enough, look good.

Evans has racked up some impressive initial third-party endorsements, including support from unions and the Black Clergy. The fact that Evans didn't win the police endorsement just shows that their decision was based on which candidate would do the most for them as a union, not which candidate would do the most to improve public safety.

Evans is taking on the power structure of the city in a way that is impressive and needed at a time when people are fed up with business as usual. This is doubly impressive when you consider that attacking Brady and the Democratic City Committee the way he has carries a real risk to his own candidacy.

With regular video blogs and chats and a great-looking site, Evans is using the Internet far better than Tom Knox, whose media maven Joe Trippi would presumably have had Knox lead the way.

So why is no one noticing? In every poll I have seen, Evans settles in at fourth place.

I'm not sure.

It may be that his team is not as solid as I believe them to be.

It may be that Evans is hampered by reporters believing "Dwight will be Dwight," a reference to his dismal performance in the 1999 mayoral primary when he garnered less than 5 percent of the vote. If reporters don't believe in you, it is difficult to get the coverage a candidate needs.

But the most likely culprit is that his campaign has functioned in fits and starts, likely related to his work in Harrisburg.

Evans came out of the box strong, with a solid announcement and a few quick endorsements. But it was almost two months between his most recent endorsement — the Black Clergy — and his previous one by the Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 332. Both are major endorsements, but eight weeks is a long time.

That could be because Evans, unlike other candidates, has a real job and is spending a significant amount of time doing it. I don't care what anyone says, being a member of Congress is not the same as being chair of the Appropriations Committee in Harrisburg.

But none of that matters in an election for mayor. You have to actually run for this job. Running for mayor is not something that can be done from midway down the Turnpike. Evans needs to step it up — and stop being focused on Harrisburg.

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