NDP in the news
New Democrats love their moustaches
September 20, 2004
by James Cowan, National Post
Alberta New Democrats picked Brian Mason as their new leader on the weekend, further cementing the party of the left as the party of the moustache.
The moustachioed Mr. Mason was joined at the leadership convention by federal leader Jack Layton, who famously sports one, too. Indeed, one-quarter of his male caucus mates have moustaches: Yvon Godin, Dave Christopherson and Peter Stoffer.
It makes sense, according to pollster Michael Marzolini. The chairman of Pollara Inc. said left-leaning voters are more likely to support candidates with facial hair than individuals who back Liberals or Conservatives. "Core NDP voters are more forgiving of facial hair. I think that dates back to the seventies, which was a more hirsute era."
Moustaches appear frequently above the mouths of the NDP's members of provincial legislatures, including Michael Prue in Ontario, Doug Martindale and George Hickes in Manitoba and Clay Serby and Len Taylor in Saskatchewan.
Both Glen Clark and Mike Harcourt had moustaches during their tenures as B.C. premier. Federal member of Parliament David Christopherson (NDP, Hamilton Centre) has a hairy upper lip.
However, a survey of 300 Canadians conducted by Pollara suggested 24% of voters are less likely to vote for a hirsute candidate than a clean-shaven one. Conversely, only 12% are more likely to vote in favour of facial hair. (The remaining 64% of those surveyed did not care.)
Mr. Marzolini said facial hair fazes voters because it implies the candidate has something to hide. Therefore, voters prefer a David Niven-style bit of well-trimmed facial foliage to a walrus-sized lip brush.
"It's all right if it's not intrusive, if it's not covering his mouth, if it's not seen as covering something up," Mr. Marzolini said, adding it also helps if the candidate has a receding hairline.
"Jack Layton doesn't do so badly because he's thin on top," Mr. Marzolini said. "Moustaches are alright on a bald man, a balding man, or, in some cases, a big man."
The last politician with a moustache to be elected prime minister was Louis St. Laurent, who served from 1948 to 1957. Since then, image consultants have advised their clients to seek out a razor before seeking public office.
Mr. Marzolini noted Brian Tobin had a moustache while serving as an MP but the lip hair disappeared when the politician began contemplating a run for the leadership of the federal Liberals.
Meanwhile, Conservative MP Vic Toews shaved his moustache when he became tired of being confused with Mr. Layton, perhaps a further indication the moustache is seen as an NDP accoutrement in the eyes of voters.
As for Mr. Layton, his party conducted focus groups before the past election to determine whether the public prefer him with or without his facial fuzz. And while the public voted in favour of his moustache, the leader told reporters he would have kept the moustache regardless of the results.
"I'm not going to be some kind of focus-grouped, packaged politician. I've never believed in that," he said at the time. "My mother likes it, so it would take a heck of a lot of persuasion and several strong people to hold me down."
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