Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
This election cycle, political surrogates have been out in full force, touting the messages of the presidential candidates.
The role of the political surrogate may seem obvious — after all, no candidate can be in two places at once. However, since the advent of the 24-hour news cycle, the need for a prominent spokesperson has only grown.
Surrogate roles aren't one-size-fits-all. Sometimes, a particular proxy is required to appeal to specific groups or to bring a candidate's platform to a portion of the population that might not otherwise pay attention. For example, a civil rights leader might convey a campaign's message better in African American communities while a movie star might help engage younger voters.
Christian Grose specializes in political representation and is an associate professor of political science at USC. He joined Take Two to discuss the different types of political surrogates deployed this year.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.