Approaching Specific Groups
Mobilization was a big part of John Tower’s way of encouraging certain groups to vote. Influencing a group of people to view the campaign’s political perceptions was a huge part of party mobilization.The effort a candidate puts into social interactions with different groups of people can determine the outcome of a successful campaign. Campaigns are led to have a greater outcome of voting participants when candidates put more effort in contacting these groups. John Tower invested a lot of his time with the hispanic community for the 1978 election.
He made sure to be noted by using different tactics of advertisement like this “Con Nosotros” brochure and this SoundSheet were both features of the 1978 campaign, which aimed to attract and appeal to the Hispanic population of Texas. The Tower campaign put their materials in the homes of voters associating him with music and home life. The brochure titled “Athletes for Nixon” is from Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign for President. It was sent to Americans across the country to target Americans with athletic lifestyles who like sports. The brochure includes endorsements for Nixon from many famous athletes of the time and is part of an effort to try and connect with specific subgroups of the American people. These brochures were sent out to make Nixon seem more relatable to the common man who likely watches sports and knows the faces of the athletes that are displayed. This is done to mobilize voters who identify with the athletes and sports in general.
Credit: Max Schein, Sacco Fernandez, & Evelyn Escuadra
Item Title: Brochure: Athletes for Nixon
Candidate/Campaign: Richard Nixon, 1968 Presidential Campaign
Date: undated
Collection: Senator John Tower Collection
This brochure is titled “Athletes for Nixon” from Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign and was mailed out to Americans across the country. It targeted Americans with athletic lifestyles who like sports. The brochure includes endorsements for Nixon from many famous athletes of the time and is part of a common tactic politicians use to try and connect with specific subgroups. These brochures were sent out to make Nixon seem more relatable to the common man who likely watches sports and knows the faces of the athletes that are displayed.
Item Title: Soundsheet: "El Corrido De John Tower"
Candidate/Campaign: John Tower, 1978 Senate Campaign
Date: 1978
Collection: Senator John Tower Collection
John Tower served as a Texas Republican United States Senator until 1985. This soundsheet was a feature of the 1978 campaign, which aimed to attract and appeal to the Hispanic population of Texas. The Tower campaign put their materials in the homes of voters associating him with music and home life. Eva-tone made thin vinyl sheets with record grooves pressed in them that were able to be played on an ordinary record player at home; these were easy and cheap to mass manufacture.
Item Title: John Tower Con Nosotros Brochure & Flyer
Candidate/Campaign: John Tower, 1978 Senate Campaign
Date: 1978
Collection: Senator John Tower Collection
The “Con Nosotros” brochure & flyer translating to “With Us” was made to attract the Hispanic community. In 1978, John Tower concerned that his opponent, Bob Krueger, spoke fluent Spanish reached out to Lionel Sosa, a Hispanic Republican, for help with advertising. This marked Sosa's first advertisement work in the political world, but would not be his last as he worked on the campaigns of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and the Republican Party. Senator Tower won by one half of 1 percent but claimed 37 percent of the Hispanic turnout. Texas Republicans, up to this point, had claimed less than 8 percent of the the Hispanic vote.