But crime polls low among citizen concerns in the race for Senate. It is preeminently a local matter. Both Ashcroft and Carnahan were governors. From that position, they could influence the criminal justice system profoundly, through law and through appointment. Neither compiled a record that deviated far from national trends.
Most candidates produce TV ads with glacial slowness.
They use television as a universal forum. The intersection of these two factors leads consultants to choose issues that are universally approved. Thus the airwaves are dominated by truisms. Everyone hates crime. Everyone likes education.