Summary
This document provides some examples of political civility in 2025 as well as past examples for context.
Zohran Mamdani & Brad Lander (23 Jun 2025)
Two candidates running against each other for Mayor of New York City, sit down to discuss the race and why each one feels the other would also be a good choice for mayor. If the video below doesn’t play here, you can watch it on YouTube. [View]
Ranked choice voting helps foster civility in elections because candidates can endorse competitors. Below is the campaign ad from Mamdani and Lander.
Spencer Cox (20 Oct 2020)
During the 2018 election, Spencer Cox was running for Governor of Utah. In the final stretch of the election, he ran a video with his Democratic opponent. Take a look at the video below. This is another example of leading by example. Jeff Cox is now the Governor of Utah.
Bill Lee (29 Oct 2018)
Just days before the 2018 election, Tennessee candidate for Governor, Bill Lee, posted a campaign ad that was very unusual to see during a contentious campaign season. “My opponent is a good man. A public servant,” he stated in the video. No mud slinging. Just a respectful and gracious message. Take a look at the video below. This is one way Republicans are working to tone down divisive talk. Bill Lee is now the Governor of Tennessee.