Names (do you know them, can you say them?) could be difference in mayoral race

By Delen Goldberg

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.

What’s in a name? In the race for Las Vegas mayor, maybe everything.

Carolyn Goodman, wife of Mayor Oscar Goodman, has never run for office but began her campaign with a head start because of her last name. Chris Giunchigliani has 20 years of government experience but carries a surname most people can’t pronounce.

Name recognition is a key factor in political campaigns. It is part of the reason candidates spend big bucks on commercials, billboards and mailers. Voters might not know anything about a candidate’s position on the issues, but if they recognize the candidate’s name, they’re one step closer to pulling the lever for him or her. It gives incumbents an edge and sometimes leads to politically untested celebrities getting elected.

“In contrast to the adage that ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ ... research suggests that familiarity with candidate names increases support for those candidates,” a Vanderbilt University political science department study found. “Individuals infer in name recognition greater viability and bandwagon around candidates who appear more capable of winning office.”

Goodman is neither an incumbent nor a celebrity, but she may as well be. Her husband is one of Nevada’s most popular politicians, and voters’ goodwill toward him carries over to her. Goodman won the primary by 20 percentage points, and her campaign says she has widened that lead in the general election.

“I’m glad my wife’s name is Goodman,” Oscar Goodman said recently. “People in this city, they like the name and they trust the name.”

“I’m so proud of my last name,” Carolyn Goodman said. “It’s the best name in the world.” Goodman insists that she’s her own person and will be an independent mayor, but admits that her name is important to her campaign. Most political observers agree that Goodman would be in the field of also-rans if she carried a different moniker.

Giunchigliani, on the other hand, concedes that her name could give voters pause. Few, even those who support her, can pronounce it correctly.

Former President Bill Clinton even botched it in an endorsement. He twice pronounced it “June-kill-ee-OH-ni” rather than “June-kill-ee-AH-ni.”

“It was still pretty good for Bubba,” Giunchigliani said. “Bill has always stumbled over my name, but it was an honor for him to do that for me.”

Giunchigliani addressed the difficulty of her name in the first video she released in her campaign. First, an older couple mangles it. Then, a Hispanic man tries to say it in Spanish. Several children get it right, but their parents struggle. An opera singer finally belts it out correctly.

Giunchigliani, meanwhile, maintains that it’s not that hard to say with a little practice. “I think in the long-run it would normally be a disadvantage, but we’ve made light of it,” Giunchigliani said.

The Clark County commissioner also goes by “Chris G.,” a nickname she has used throughout her political career to make herself more familiar to voters.

Giunchigliani could have a leg up on Goodman because of the number of letters in her name. Studies have shown that candidates with longer names receive more votes because their ballot line catches voters’ eyes more easily. On the other hand, political scientists also have found that long and hard-to-pronounce names can intimidate voters.

Early voting results show turnout has been strong in the mayoral race, and the contest has garnered enough attention that voters are unlikely to choose a candidate by name only. Unless, of course, that name is Goodman.