California primary candidates make final push as ads and outreach ramp up

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- With two weeks until California's primary elections, candidates are making their final push.

Ads are popping up across the state, flooding TV and radio.

"There's quite a number of candidates on the ballot, so a lot of candidates are having some trouble trying to distinguish themselves from the others," Fresno State political science professor Tom Holyoke said.

With more than 60 candidates on the ballot for governor alone, Holyoke said recognition is key.

"Oftentimes, people will go look at a ballot, and they don't know a whole lot about the people on the ballot. But if you recognize a name, they're going to gravitate toward that. So what you want to do is get your name into people's minds so they remember it," he said.

From TVs to mailboxes, mailers are seemingly nonstop.

"People who get most of their entertainment from streaming services, they may not be as easy to get to with advertisements. So, actually, a lot of candidates are going back to a very old-fashioned route, just putting flyers in the mail, because that will get to people," Holyoke said.

Stuck among those election flyers, voters are encouraged to look for two voter guides, one from the state and one from the county, and to check for their vote-by-mail ballot.

Fresno County voters should have received them earlier in May.

"Participation in these primary elections are usually pretty low turnout," Holyoke said. "Those candidates really need to spend a lot of time on their ground game, getting people out to the polls."

Candidates are aware that every vote counts, and in this final stretch, many are going beyond the mailbox, knocking on doors and promoting that outreach online.

"That adds a nice personal touch," Holyoke said. "That basic, sort of, retail politics does work."

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