A big loser of the 2016 election has already emerged in the Twin Cities — lawn signs for the presidential candidates.

The signs, once a staple of all levels of campaigning, have all but vanished in the fight between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Related Articles New Brighton Mayor Valerie Johnson suspends bid for re-election

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“I haven’t seen any (presidential) signs at all, and that’s because this is not a popularity contest,” said Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance in the Hubert H. Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota. “It’s an unpopularity contest.”

Because of the candidates’ high disapproval ratings, even voters in their own parties may not want to publicly support them. Also, some campaigns are phasing out signs in favor of social media and direct person-to-person campaigning.

Another reason you may not have seen many Trump or Clinton signs? They are more likely to be stolen, according to east metro residents who have put them in their yards.

The drift away from signs — as well as billboards and bumper stickers — applies only to the presidential race. Many lawns and street intersections are still choked with signs for local candidates.

But the brands of both presidential candidates have been tarnished, said Jacobs.

He said that Trump, in particular, has approval ratings so low that Trump lawn signs might be stolen by Republican neighbors who are ashamed of their party’s candidate.

The signs can survive when they are put in the right neighborhood, said Tony Spiess of New Brighton. His “Hillary for Prison” sign has not been stolen, he said, because his neighbors support Trump.

“I wouldn’t put that sign up in Minneapolis, but in New Brighton I think it’s pretty safe,” Spiess said.

He is not, however, putting Trump bumper stickers on his car. In 2008, he had a John McCain bumper sticker — which resulted in his car getting keyed after a political argument with a coworker.

The theft of signs is epidemic, said Andy Post, director of the Trump campaign in Minnesota. He said the campaign has distributed 70,000 signs, and estimated that 30,000 more have been purchased by individuals. Yet relatively few are visible, he said, because they are stolen so quickly.

More are surviving in the outstate areas, he said.

“Lawn signs are kind of a thing of the past,” said a campaign worker for Clinton’s Minnesota campaign who asked that his name not be used.

He said the Clinton campaign — along with others — is switching away from lawn signs and billboards toward personal contacts with voters through phone calls and door-knocking.

Judy Gibson’s Lake Elmo yard has eight signs, including one that says, “Go Cubs!” But a thief recently took only the two small Clinton signs, and vandalized a large one.

“It was disturbing,” said Gibson, who replaced the signs. “This is a crazy year, and I can’t wait until it’s over.”

The first time a Trump sign was placed at Gorman’s Restaurant in Lake Elmo, it lasted six hours.

Six more times, said owner Ed Gorman, someone stole the signs.

He sees the sign thieves as impinging on his First Amendment right to speak freely.

Ken Kunzer agrees. He said it’s his right as an American to express his opinion on his own property.

But in his Woodbury neighborhood, that takes persistence.

After he put Trump signs in his yard, someone rang his doorbell at 5:30 a.m. and ran away.

Four times the Trump signs were removed overnight. So Kunzer put the signs up higher, out of reach of thieves, nailed to a tree.

“At first I was (annoyed),” Kunzer said. “Now I put up with it.”

Restaurant owner Gorman ultimately did the same thing. He found a way to support his candidate out of the reach of thieves — with a Trump flag on top of his 30-foot flagpole.

“We are so polarized,” sighed Gorman. “I never in my life would have thought we would have two presidential choices like this.”