
An "endorsement" requires: a clear, affirmative statement of support for the candidate's election, the statement must be public (not private communications), the endorsement must specifically reference the race or be clearly in context of the race, and the endorsement must come directly from the person or through official channels. Statements of obvious sarcasm (or which are immediately followed by clarifications that the person is joking) are not encompassed by the Payout Criterion.