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I get what you're saying, I think there's something to hearing it from the horse's mouth. However, yeah most people don't go to have their opinions changed, now they go to cheer and chant and show support.
However, I'll also say, in these smaller states, there really isn't a lot of going on. A politician is essentially a celebrity to a lot of people, and so having a big event like that in your town of 15,000 is a pretty big deal.
I think at least for me, you really nailed it when you said that politicians are like celebrities to a lot of people. I personally have just never had any interest in celebrities. Music is a big thing for me, but if I had the opportunity to go meet one of my favorite artists, I wouldn't. What am I going to do, say "hey, I really like your music," and that's the end of it? There's no point. I enjoy the art that they make, but meeting them briefly in-person isn't going to change anything for them or for me. It'd be a better use of my time to stay home and do just about anything else, maybe even stay home and listen to one of their albums.
Politicians are the same. I'm not buying their album, I'm voting for them. They don't produce an entertainment product, but they produce a change in my country (be it good or bad) that directly affects me. It still doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to me or to them if I meet them in-person or not. I can respect what they they do professionally without having a desire to shake hands.
Ah we're different there. There are 2 celebrities I would love to sit down and have a chat with, I would love to know more about them. It will never happen, but it's there.
I think people are that way with politicians in this country, they are giddy and obsess, and it's a fun euphoric state where you forget about reality. During Covid I fell down the parasocial relationship ladder a few rungs because it was more fun than staring at my wall for hours on end, but when Covid ended I pulled myself back out. Not everyone does though.
That's true, I wouldn't travel 100 miles to attend one but if it happened 5 miles from me and I liked the candidate I might go for the novelty.
It's like attending a concert. An additional similarity is I wouldn't attend any of the popular bands' but might even travel a bit to see one of the indies.