- Published
As Americans prepare to vote in the US midterm elections, candidates with their eye on Congress are not just competing on policy.
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candidates → publish → policy
In our social media age, they're using their personal style to attract attention and project their message.
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they → use → message
Their clothing has become a measure of their authenticity and appeal.
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clothing → become → authenticity
"Politicians are dressing for two jobs at once: to look capable of holding office but to also look connected to the people they want to represent," said Joe Zee, a celebrity fashion stylist.
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Zee → dress → people
From Alaska to Texas, here is a look at how some candidates have been standing out on the campaign trail.
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candidates → stand → trail
Dressing like their state
Some candidates, like Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington's 3rd Congressional District, are embracing a relaxed, outdoorsy image.
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who → dress → image
The former car repair shop owner is up for re-election on a platform focused on support for small businesses and working families, after capturing a Republican-held seat in her state in 2022.
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owner → focus → 2022
She favours low fuss, low-key work jackets, flannel shirts, jeans and practical footwear.
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She → favour → fuss
Robert Ordway, conservative public policy adviser and former owner of Capitol Hill Clothiers, says Gluesenkamp Perez is probably the most "spot-on" when it comes to "authenticity and where you come from".
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you → say → where
"Also it really vibes with the Pacific Northwest, which has trees and forests and a little bit more of an outdoor vibe," he says.
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he → vibe → vibe
Her style also "shepherds a message championing the working class", says Tashira Halyard, an attorney, content creator, and public policy expert based in Washington DC.
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Halyard → shepherd → DC
Democratic lawmaker Mary Peltola, running for a Senate seat in the battleground state of Alaska, takes a similar approach.
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Peltola → run → approach
She made headlines for wearing traditional boots of the Yup'ik people while being sworn in as a congresswoman in 2022.
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She → make → 2022
During this election cycle, her rugged outdoor gear nods to her days working on a fishing boat on Alaska's Kuskokwim River and her "fish, family and freedom" campaign slogan.
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gear → nod → River
The flannels, puffer jackets and indigenous-inspired details seem designed to remind voters that Peltola is a native (and Native) Alaskan, says conservative author and journalist Bonnie Kristian.
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Kristian → inspire → voters
Patriotism on their sleeves
Other candidates, such as Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson of Iowa, have been opting for a bolder, patriotic image.
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candidates → opt → image
While polished and conservative, her style of dress has included classic, arguably nostalgic touches, including denim and bandanas for more casual appearances.
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style → include → appearances
In a tight race against her Democratic opponent, Hinson has tried to separate herself from specific policy decisions made by the Trump administration but has still expressed loyalty to the president.
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Hinson → try → president
She slipped into pumps with the American flag bedazzled across them at a primary election party in Iowa in June.
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She → slip → June
The look, reminiscent of the style worn by Trump supporters at rallies, is quintessential American patriotism, according to Halyard.
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look → wear → Halyard
"Ashley's American flag high heels, denim dress and bright red blouse worn with a bandana around her neck are classic Americana," she says.
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she → wear → neck
"It's this idea that… I'm literally going to wear my patriotism on my sleeve."
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I → go → sleeve
Journalist Bonnie Kristian says there is "a strategic advantage" to Hinson's look, one in which she is "cultivating a visual identity that cannot possibly be misinterpreted" in an era where social media presence, if only for a split second, is crucial.
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presence → say → second
Her denim dress, red bandana and sparkly American flag shoes all signal that she's a Republican wooing rural voters - and indeed she is.
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she → signal → voters
Once a reliable Republican stronghold, Texas has become a battleground between top prosecutor Ken Paxton, 63, who was controversially endorsed by Trump over a longtime senator, and Democratic state lawmaker James Talarico, 37.
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who → become → senator
On the campaign trail, both contenders have been making similar clothing choices, wearing relaxed blazers and cowboy boots.
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contenders → make → blazers
"The necktie is dead on the campaign trail in both parties," says Ordway.
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Ordway → say → parties
"The younger man dresses up to look serious, and the older man dresses down to look like one of the guys."
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man → dress → guys
Fashion critic Friedman notes that Talarico's handcrafted Lucchese cowboy boots "are a very deliberate choice that allows him to speak to all different kinds of constituencies in Texas".
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him → note → Texas
"Those boots mean something that is very deeply rooted in Texas semiology," Friedman says, referring to the study of signs and their interpretations.
"Former US President George W Bush wore Lucchese cowboy boots, so suddenly you're crossing all sorts of party lines and tapping into all sorts of different electoral groups with your shoes."
Meanwhile, Paxton's style of dress has come under fire on more than one front.
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style → mean → front
It has drawn the disapproval of Trump who has urged voters to focus on his record because it "speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great".
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that → draw → suit
The Republican candidate has also been criticised by his opponent for wearing a pricey watch and polo shirt from the luxury hotel chain Four Seasons as a debate about the high cost of living dominates the midterms.
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debate → criticise → midterms
The criticism around his apparent luxury watch and Four Seasons polo raises another style-branded question: casual clothes don't necessarily communicate an ordinary lifestyle," says Zee, a stylist and faculty associate at Arizona State University's Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.
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Zee → raise → Design
"A five-star resort-branded polo can carry luxury associations just as clearly as a suit.
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polo → brand → suit
"The watch's identity and value were unconfirmed, but the perception illustrates how an accessory can complicate a candidate's message," he explains.
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he → illustrate → message
A uniform, if it reads naturally, is an incredibly effective tool, says Friedman, and a great way to be recognised across the country.
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Friedman → read → country
It's an approach adopted by Republican Senator and former congresswoman for Tennessee's 7th congressional district, Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor of her state.
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who → adopt → state
Senator Blackburn is often seen in structured jackets and skirts, sometimes with patterns.
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Blackburn → see → patterns
Ordway remembers that Blackburn "was extremely polished" whenever he spotted her in Capitol Hill while working there as a legislative director for a former Indiana senator.
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he → remember → senator
"I always saw pearls on her," he says.
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he → see → her
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
