If you've seen any of Virg Bernero's campaign commercials, looked at his website, heard him speak, or been within 100 yards of him during this campaign season, you've probably heard him talk about what a strong supporter of law enforcement he is. He brags about transforming the Lansing Police Department and working with them to save money while still keeping Lansing's streets safe.
So, if he and law enforcement are that cozy together, you'd assume that they'd be falling all over themselves to endorse him, right?
Nope.
The fact of the matter is, Bernero hasn't been endorsed by a single law enforcement organization. Instead, they're supporting his opponent, Andy Dillon. Dillon has received endorsements from the Fraternal Order of Police, the Police Officers Association of Michigan, the Retired Detroit Police and Fire Fighters Association, and the Deputy Sheriff's Association of Michigan.
I've questioned the importance of individual endorsements on here before, and perhaps even the unanimous endorsement of these groups won't be heard by most voters, but if all of these law enforcement organizations are rejecting Bernero's campaign, that MUST tell us SOMETHING about his self-claimed support of their efforts, doesn't it?
Polls continue to show Dillon well ahead of Bernero with the primary only a few weeks away, so whether the lack of support from the law enforcement community hurts him or not may not even matter. The problem for him is that it certainly isn't going to help him make up that gap either.