Just Like Kipling’s Baloo

So, how do you say Balukoff? A.J. Balukoff, newly announced Democratic candidate for governor, says it’s like the Baloo, the bear in the Jungle Book – the accent is on the LU. (Baloo was the “sleepy brown bear” in the Kipling classic; in the Disney version, he’s the popular character who sings about “The Bare Necessities.”) The name is Bulgarian; that’s where Balukoff’s grandparents emigrated from when they came to this country 100 years ago this month/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here.

Question: Can a candidate win, if voters can’t pronounce his name? And/or: Is your name hard to pronounce?