By Perrin Clark ’15

Although it may seem far-fetched, Mayor of Toronto Rob Ford and Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie share more in common than you might think. Both of them are moderate conservatives with liberal constituents, both have colorful personalities that relate to the common man, and most importantly, both handle political scandals surprisingly well.

In May 2013, Rob Ford denied accusations that he was a crack connoisseur. However, in October the Toronto police uncovered evidence that Rob Ford smoked crack, which prompted the mayor to candidly admit that he had indeed consumed the drug in one of his “drunken stupors.” Furthermore, a tsunami of shenanigans accompanied Rob Ford’s “crack-gate.” He made raw remarks about oral sex, his staff accused him of drunk driving, a video showed him in a violent tirade, and reports surfaced that he used cocaine with a prostitute. However, Ford’s approval ratings rose from 40% to 42% in the wake of the scandals.

South of the border, Chris Christie is in the midst of a lane closure scandal. Bridget Anne Kelly (his deputy chief of staff), David Wildstein and Bill Baroni (two port authority officials) closed two lanes of traffic on the George Washington Bridge in the name of a “traffic study” to create massive congestion in retaliation for the mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, not endorsing governor Christie in his reelection bid. Of course, this controversy is not as zany as Rob Ford’s. Nonetheless, the media placed blame on Governor Christie, even though thousands of subpoenaed documents in the ensuing investigation showed no evidence to connect the governor with the scandal. The public responded to these allegations with a resounding “meh.” Indeed, Christie’s approval ratings remain at 55% while 38% disapprove according to a Quinnipiac poll released on Wednesday. In fact, the American people cared more about the polar vortex than “bridge-gate.” Like Rob Ford, Christie weathered the political storm (at least for now.)

While both politicians faced completely different fiascos, both had the potential to be damaging. Why weren’t they? It stems from their original appeal; Rob Ford and Chris Christie use their personalities to attract a loyal base of followers. For example, Rob Ford is often seen as a politician who fights against wasteful spending. He is also seen as someone who represents the taxpayer and who fights the big government elites of downtown Toronto. Ford’s followers are so loyal that they are called “Ford Nation.” Similarly, when voters think of Chris Christie, they think of a pragmatic politician who is not afraid to speak his mind, even if he exudes assertiveness. Furthermore, Christie’s bi-partisan popularity was reinforced when he embraced President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Quite simply, Rob Ford and Chris Christie are likable guys, and they have cultivated personalities so strong that political scandal does not have a marked affect on their approval ratings.

Both Rob Ford and Chris Christie have illustrated that personality can determine how far one gets in politics. However, the commonality between these popular politicians can extend into our own school elections. Whenever someone runs for school council, they make their personality integral with their policy. Indeed, personality and charisma can distinguish one candidate from the other. Whether you are running for Newark Academy school council, Mayor of Toronto, or Governor of New Jersey, just remember you are selling your platform to the public. Your sales pitch will be memorable if it reflects your personality. Ford and Christie have had strong sales pitches, and thus far, they remain politically strong.