Thank you to my friend Willie Nininger for writing a wonderful campaign song. Willie is an internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter who lives in Southbury. I first met Willie while making phone calls on behalf of candidate Chris Murphy in 2006. Willie’s infectious excitement came through with each phone call.
When he introduced the song at the 69th District Democratic Convention in May, I did not realize how catchy the song would be. I was just so grateful that he had taken the time to write a campaign song. If you would like to know more about Willie, you can watch my 2018 interview with Willie here: Ed Edelson Interview of Willie Nininger – On The Town.
It was not until I heard others singing (or at least humming it) that I realized how great it was a great campaign. Everyone who has heard the campaign song has found themselves singing along.
There are many reasons that people vote for a candidate: personal connection, political affiliation, stance on a particular issue. And finally, that they have a good emotional feeling about the candidate. The song has a good feeling to it. Every I have played it for is smiling after the first verse and soon tapping their feet. That positive energy is important to creating the emotional connection that many voters want to feel about a candidate. To win, you must meet the different voters in many different ways. This song is an important part of our approaches to voters.
Many have been inspired by the song to create their own video of the chorus. People have been making short (10 to 15 second) videos singing the chorus. Some are cute, some are creative, and some are, well just weird. We plan to use this in our digital advertising and social media. The campaign decided to make this into a “challenge” to encourage more people to submit short videos. Watch the 90 second music video and then learn more about the Double E D Campaign Video Challenge.