If anyone has ever doubted the power of name recognition in politics, take a look at this from my native West Virginia.
Yesterday was the primary election in the state. In the race for Secretary of State where 89-year-old and former Secretary of State Ken Hechler won the primary over a field that included a former television anchor, and the first female Mountaineer in WVU history as well as a state legislator who lost in the 2000 race.
Note this, Hechler would probably still be the Secretary of State today had he not decided in 2000 to run for Congress, a seat he previously held so long ago I cannot remember when. He lost that primary.
Hechler’s career in politics stretches back to the Truman administration, where he served.