Campaign Mania: Delegates Make a Name for Themselves

Throughout the day on Monday, many campaign posters at American Legion Buckeye Boys State (ALBBS) began to cover the walls of every city. Some creative ones have stood out and successfully boosted campaigns.

For example, origami swans were seen sitting around Flower Hall on several tables with the names of several delegates running for the House of Representatives and Senate written on the wings. The novelty in this idea brought immediate attention to their campaign and made their names recognizable. Delegates would walk into the room and immediately have their eyes drawn to these swans and be intrigued to read them.

Ryan Kruman was running for mayor and head of the school board of Alberts city. Kruman constructed creative posters using a hand-drawn, stylised black silhouette of his own face inside the outline of the border of Ohio. He made several of these and posted them in different locations around Alberts, making sure that all residents would stumble across them at some point in the day. Having all these eyes now on him was vital to his victory.

After leading a campaign with unmatched creativity, he was successfully voted into office in both positions, proving that originality is integral to success here at Boys State.

Kruman stated that these posters “got [his] face and name out there and even people from the other party voted for [him].” He said that his campaign started when the city raised over $1,000 for communal campaigning materials. He saw these papers and started “doodling,” which eventually led to his final poster designs.

All in all, unique campaigns have proved to bring special attention to various delegates, helping one stand out from the crowd and ultimately put them in office.