Politicians can grab the public's attention in a variety of ways.
One tried and true method for incumbents is using their office to further their political agenda. If that agenda is out of sync with the public, voters are turned off. But if it resonates with voters, political gains are made. Democratic Gov. Carper's diligent pursuit of education reform was one example of this. The reform movement had widespread support in Delaware and the governor earned substantial political capital for his devotion to improving public schools.