“Nobody knew who Bill Clinton was. Nobody knew who Jimmy Carter was.”
People did know who they were, both of those men were governors, and they lined up their ducks and donors before committing.
A governor is at the top of the heap in his state politically, always with varying degrees of recognition on a national scale, depending on the size and importance of the state, but it is always something.
The biggest difference is that it takes something to win the governors seat that it doesn’t always take to win in many congressional seats.
Even the smallest governor has some celebrity, not something that all of the hundreds of congressman can claim or attain.
Hunter is probably disappointed that he can’t break 1%, he is human after all, and after more than a quarter century as a politician it has to sting a little, it bothers me a little, but it is what it is, we have an election at risk and we have to move on.
Clinton was a little better known than Carter but in November of 1974 A Harris poll lists 35 potential presidential candidates. Jimmy Carter is not one of them. What he did have was the “Peanut Brigade” that went to Iowa and New Hampshire from Georgia and out worked the better known candidates.
As you say, he had a plan to overcome his lack of national standing. Even Patrick Caddell, Carter’s campaign pollster, told PBS: “If it weren’t for the country looking for something in ‘76, Carter could never have gotten elected. He was almost unknown outside of Georgia. We had to overcome that.”
He had a plan to become known. Hunter didn’t.
Look at Ron Paul. He was no better known than Hunter. He worked the internet, and lined up support from groups and factions that spread the word for him, and got his name out.
He’s in 4th or 5th place depending on the poll. Duncan Hunter could have done better. His message appeals to more of the base. Hunter should be up there fighting for the top right now had he just had a plan to become known.
Once anyone is nominated by either party, name recognition is no longer a problem. It boils down to message and who the voters trust.
You can’t really believe that were Hunter nominated, he wouldn’t knock the snot out of Hillary or Obama.
Of course, none of this matters because he didn’t have a plan to become recognized and will not get the nomination.