October 16, 2012 06:30 PM UTC

John Odom's Harmonica Coming to a TV Near You

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• by: Colorado Pols

After months of conspicuous silence on the campaign trail, Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom has not only perfected his messaging heading into election day, he’s also taking that message to the airwaves with his first major TV buy this cycle.

While Odom has effectively ceded the ground game to Democratic challenger Casey Tighe, it may not make a difference. That’s because television is the most cost-effective way to connect with voters in expansive Jefferson County. Because so few people are paying attention to this race, steady and well-placed TV ads enable Odom and other similarly-situated downballot candidates to introduce themselves to thousands of voters. Few people make a truly “informed” vote for commissioner, so all Odom needs to do is remind a few thousand Jeffco residents that he’s someone they’re able to vote for.

Make no mistake: Television ads alone aren’t enough to win an election. They can’t utterly replace other electoral efforts, as John Odom would do well to remember. He aired a strikingly similar ad against Democrat Cheri Jahn in his 2010 bid for the State Senate and still lost that race by four percentage points. There were, of course, different dynamics at play in 2010. Jahn spent years in the state house before making the jump to the Senate, and she was running to represent a district with a not insignificant Democratic tilt. And, while it may have showcased Odom’s talents with the harmonica, that TV buy didn’t really say anything other than the economy was bad and that Odom had a “new direction.”

This ad, however, paints a much more compelling portrait. Odom showcases Jefferson County’s recent economic gains and, though he shouldn’t necessarily get that much credit for it, he can get away with linking Jeffco’s success with his own efforts. The 2010 harmonica ad made the Republican appear like a quirky challenger with no real platform. As an incumbent, though, that same harmonica (and a similar tune) might just be the best way to get voters talking about an office they didn’t even know they could cast a vote for.

Still, the venue for Odom’s harmonic performance should raise a few eyebrows. He and his guitar accompaniment are grooving out next to a statue of Thomas Jefferson prominently located in the main atrium of the Taj Mahal. Although Odom isn’t expressly forbidden — to our knowledge — from using Jefferson County property for political purposes, his current position as an elected official invites a few questions: Were county funds used in the production of the video? Was Odom “on-the-clock” as commissioner when he went down to the lobby and filmed this video?

Those questions alone won’t negate the effectiveness of the commercial, but if turns out Odom erred in filming this where he did, he’ll have to grapple with the fallout from making such an asinine mistake.

That fallout wouldn’t cost Odom the election. But if it did, Odom at least has a future as a bald Bob Dylan tribute artist.