Stalking Horse

GENERICALLY, A STALKING horse is employed to cover one's real purpose; in other words, a stalking horse is a decoy. Stalking horse is archaic terminology. In America, the term became popular in the Great Plains of the old west, when hunters used their horses as decoys to sneak up on wild birds, buffalo, and other game so they could shoot them from a short distance, although the origin of the concept dates back to 16th century Europe. In political campaigns, there are different types of stalking horses. One type of stalking horse runs, not as a serious candidate with any intention of winning, but just to test the strength of a particular political cause or candidate. For instance, it was charged by some political pundits that in the U.S. presidential campaign of 1964, Republican Barry Goldwater ran as a stalking horse, put up by the Republican National Committee, to test the strength of the right wing of the Republican Party before the voters. It was well known that Goldwater stood no chance of defeating the popular incumbent, President Lyndon Johnson.

Another type of stalking horse enters a campaign, especially in party primaries, as a front or decoy for a legitimate, but unannounced, candidate. The true purpose of the stalking horse candidate is to pave the way for the more viable candidate. When the time is right, the stalking horse candidate withdraws and the real candidate enters the race, benefiting politically from the stalking horse's withdrawal. In the California recall election of Governor Gray Davis, in 2003, it is thought that Republican Representative Darrell Issa acted as a stalking horse candidate for actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Issa pushed hard for the recall of Davis, blasting Davis for his incompetence as governor and entering the recall contest. Yet, with no chance of winning, Issa backed out, leaving Schwarzenegger in a solid political position to win.

Probably the most common kind of stalking horse is a candidate who runs as a spoiler. Such a stalking-horse candidate runs to spoil the chances of another candidate winning by eroding or splitting the vote, usually between the two main candidates. For example, in inner city primary elections, African-American candidates, if in the minority, have been able to win by getting a white stalking horse candidate in the race to split the vote among white voters. Although using stalking horses to split the vote is common in politics, it sometimes can be illegal. For example, in the 1993 primary race for comptroller in St. Louis, Missouri, federal charges of mail fraud in an attempt to defraud Missouri voters were brought against Virvus Jones, candidate for comptroller, not just because he placed a stalking horse candidate in the race to draw votes away from his main opponent, James Shrewsbury, but because there was evidence that he even helped fund the stalking horse's campaign.

Historically, stalking horses have played a pervasive and significant role in American elections, as well as in [Page 765]election contests in other countries. Most stalking horse candidates have no realistic chance of winning, as, inevitably, only the strongest candidate can win. They do, however, influence election results. Some candidates run to test their popularity for future elections, to advance a cause, or to send some message.

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