Konstantin's questionable endorsement, obtained through 3 degrees of seperation
- Julie and Carmen
- Dec 13, 2016
- 2 min read
A questionably ethical mechanism for obtaining endorsements came to light on Dec. 6, when candidate Konstantin Belikow obtained an endorsement from AP Lang teacher Omari James through several degrees of separation, without ever explaining his policies or even meeting with him in person.
Campaign manager Lucas Polack secured the endorsement by asking Nathan Geesing, a student of James', to ask for James' endorsement on his behalf.
"I'll be honest, I've never even seen this kid before," Geesing wrote in his email to James. "But Lucas is a loyal friend and a good soul, and I trust his judgement. If he believes Mr. Belikow is the right choice, I'm inclined to believe him."
Geesing provided James with Belikow's email, in case he wanted to "interrogate Mr. Belikow" with an "intimidating email", he wrote.
Though Geesing did what he was asked, he seemed aware of the absurdity of the request himself.
"I've dedicated way too much time to writing this email, especially considering I have a 20 page AP World packet I need to read and analyze," Geesing wrote in postscript.
James forwarded Geesing's email to the FEC with his own note asking if there was still time to endorse Konstantin.
"Clearly, I feel strongly about his candidacy," James quipped.
The FEC was overheard confronting the campaign on the questionable merit of the endorsement, remarking that he and James had "a good laugh over that email."
Polack defended their methods of obtaining the endorsement, saying that the Belikow campaign relies on getting out the word about their platform to attract endorsers.
“You don’t need to personally know them to support their platform," Polack said.
But James' complete lack of communication or interaction with the actual candidate raises questions as to the legitimacy of the rest of Belikow's endorsements, and whether or not Konstantin can truly claim to have their support.
*Photo courtesy of the FEC
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