Suppose a group espouses a philosophy which is disagreeable to a very large majority of a voting population.* Suppose that group or its leader endorses Candidate A. Suppose Candidate A says s/he does not agree with the group's values and does not support the group.
Historically, does this help Candidate A (because it's an endorsement, more attention, etc.), hurt Candidate A (because it causes people to think voting for them would help this other group, etc.), or neither?
If you have an answer that applies to the same question without the italicized qualification, please feel free to add that and note it in your answer. Another interesting condition to consider might be the candidate ignoring the endorsement and not saying anything about it at all.
If you think the question title needs to be changed to reflect this clarification, suggest an edit. I recognize these two sets are not exactly the same, but am hoping the wording in both will help people find and understand the main point of the question.
