Will the Real Anderson Please Stand Up?

Lawn signs touting for the reelection of Anderson are popping up throughout our fair county. With two candidates running for countywide positions with that same last name, who is the sign for? In today’s entry, we will get to the bottom of this mystery.

At first glance, one would think it is in reference to Sheriff Anderson who is seeking reelection this November, as he is the only incumbent with the last name. In most cases using “re-elect” is employed by current incumbents seeking another term in office, not for challengers.


However, the Anderson seeking the post of County Clerk is not the incumbent. Democrat Richard Anderson was once the Dutchess County Clerk until the voters ousted him from office in 2003.

So is employing the diction of re-elect an attempt to fool voters? Does it play off Republican Sheriff Anderson’s name in hopes voters associate the Democrat Anderson name with his?

The first notion seems to make sense as Richard Anderson is trying to even the playing field by making voters think he is incumbent. The other may hold some credence as Sheriff Butch Anderson’s name is somewhat respected as he is running unopposed. So why not play off a popular name if you can?

Nonetheless, it epitomizes shrewd politics.