got Endorsements?

Endorsements equal votes, right?

... Not always.

I've seen plenty of candidates lose because they spent all of their time garnering endorsements from the "important" people (while ignoring the little people -- the grassroots).

The theory of endorsements is that leaders control followers. But in most cases, voters don't take their cues from elected officials (or from newspaper editors).

Lessons learned: If your opponent is outpacing you with endorsements, don't let it get you down. And if you're the one getting all the endorsements -- don't assume you've won.

Here's how Senator Joe Lieberman recently put it in the Greenwich Times: "If endorsements really influence voters, I would have won the primary yesterday."

He was right. Endorsements are fine, but if you think lining up the support of all the "big shots" guarantees your victory ... think again!