Since 2006 when Oprah profiled Newark mayor Cory Booker, he has rarely been off the national radar. He’s gone on to win the affections of the President, black talking heads, and liberals across America. But this isn’t something you achieve by being a good mayor. In fact, great mayors and politicians can be taken out by bad PR strategy.  You achieve national stardom by working the PR machine like nobody’s business, and Booker is a master at this.

Take the latest snow falls in the the state of New Jersey. While Jersey’s Governor, Chris Christie vacationed and then appeared to  grossly exaggerate his role in governing from afar, Booker was using twitter to find people who needed digging out.With every tweet, Booker won over more hearts and minds. And when he began to go out and shovel snow himself, you could hear some of his woman followers hyperventilate.

But people who work in politics know that mayors going out shoveling snow is akin to kissing babies during a political campaign–looks good, speaks nothing to the politician’s ability to govern. What it DOES speak to is how much that person understands media and American minds, and whether or not they believe catering to those sensibilities is an achievable and effective strategy.

To give a somewhat parallel example…as a resident of DC I supported the re-election of Adrian Fenty. Fenty, a no-nonsense type that is more likely to run past your snow-covered sidewalk during his morning exercise routine than he is to shovel you out if you look stuck, bears very little resemblance to Booker in terms of press handling. Fenty cared nothing for pleasing the media or appeasing constituents whose opinions ultimately mattered most. Fenty lost to Vincent Gray–a man with a spotty leadership record and zero charisma at all. The camera wasn’t kind to Fenty, but it hates Gray.

In article after article and poll after poll large swaths of the city expressed satisfaction in the direction that the city was going. Fenty still lost, not just because of his handling of his campaign (though I think he could have won with better strategy) but because of the decidedly un-media friendly way in which he ran his administration. In particular, his support of former DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Rhee is one of the most recent local cum national star and her blueprint is one that Booker is likely to follow.

Ask DC residents how they feel about the warm national embrace Rhee has received. Most are not happy with it. It’s very difficult, nay, impossible to judge a mayor or other public figure if you live outside of that city. Based on her record in DC, it’s very possible that positive national public opinion has elevated a lemon to national prominence. We won’t know until it’s too late which is what typically what happens in these cases.

The strategy here is to get people outside of the local community to feel develop a strong positive view of the politician’s work and leadership ability. Booker’s team has mastered this. He has supporters all around the country, many of whom haven’t spent an hour in New Jersey much less Newark. But that doesn’t stop outsiders from touting Booker as the next best thing.

That is the advantage to officials like Booker who are able to get national opinion to trump (and, in many cases, influence) local opinion. Dubbed America’s mayor by Newsweek, Booker continues on a path toward to Governor or perhaps some other national role. Even if he weren’t a good leader in Newark, that would never be a concern until he takes on a national role, fails to live up to expectations, and then there will be a media rush to retroactively assess his work in Newark. Rinse, wash, repeat with next elected political star.

This is not to say Booker is likely to be a lemon, he certainly seems like a kind hearted, knowledgeable, and serious community leader; however, it is to explain how, through calculated political strategy, America often gets stuck with superstar politicians who we later find out to be mediocre leaders.

From an analytical standpoint, I love watching Booker work. It’s every PR strategists’ dream to be able to create the type of impenetrable veneer of success that surrounds Booker. And as Booker’s team continues to search Booker’s name on blog sites to engage with the public, among other very effective social media and traditional media strategies, I see no signs of this PR win stopping any time soon.

I think Booker is an awesome case study for political public relations. If you’re studying or teaching political management shoot me an email if Booker’s relationship with the media has been discussed as part of your coursework.