“If he comes, I’ll vote for him”

Mauricio Macri’s canvassing and doorbelling during his electoral campaign and first year in office (2015-2016)

Abstract

The physical presence of politicians – as candidates or elected officials – in the territory they seek to represent is increasingly valued in contemporary democracies. Mauricio Macri has sought to transform doorbelling and canvassing, making his encounters with ordinary citizens one of the trademarks of his party. But is this appeal to presence and closeness new? If not, how do modern-day canvassing and doorbelling fit in with other kinds of political presences? And what specific features has Macri injected into these practices? In this paper, we attempt to answer these questions by analyzing the specificity of Macri’s canvassing and doorbelling, whether in the campaign trail or in office. We will do so within the framework of what we call the “representation of proximity.” A review of social media posts, promotional spots, and videos reveals that Macri’s visits can be conceived as “presences of proximity,” structured around the act of listening to common citizens and empathizing with their hardships. These kinds of presences are predominant in contemporary politics, but Macri adds a special twist to them: during his campaign, he resorted to what we call “meta-visits,” in which the message is the visit itself. The act of listening replaces whatever is being heard. Once in office, the expected passage towards “presences of empathy” never materialized and, instead, “presences of listening” continue to occupy center stage.