LaKesha Womack

My 2014 Election Strategy

Sorry to disappoint anyone who may have thought that this was an official, “I am running for ________ in 2014” post.  This is a hypothetical/if I were to run for something in 2014/what I would be doing today post.

As a Political Science major in college, I became fascinated with not only the political process but also how people, the average voter, processes political information.  There is a wide disconnect from a lot of politicians to the voters.  Yes, many of them manage to win election but very few of them have real buy from their constituents into their platforms, especially on a local level.  Most local elections end up being a popularity contest with no real mandates for change in the community because there were not any discussions of the issues.

In the 2012 Presidential Election there was a clear choice between two conflicting visions for the American people and whether you like it or not, the people allowed their voices to be heard through their votes.  It is amazing that some want to delegitimize that for their own selfish reasons but I feel pretty certain that they would  not feel the same way if their candidate had won.

Back to the topic… If I were to run for a political office in 2014, there are eight things that I would start doing immediately to increase my probability of victory:

1. Know my role.  What office am I really interested in?  What are the time commitments  What are the responsibilities?  Although not stated in many positions, what skills and qualifications are necessary to be successful in the position?   During a campaign, this knowledge could become your strength or your weakness.  I have seen people campaign for positions because someone told them that they should or because they thought they could do a better a job than the person currently holding the office.  It may seem easy on the outside but before putting yourself out there, do some research.
2. Know the players.  If possible, attend some of the meetings to see who the current person is holding that office.  Are they doing an effective job?  If so, what makes you think you can do better?  If not, what would you do better?  This will be one of your central campaign positions or the central position used against you.  Wanting a title or a government salary is not enough motivation for everything you will need to do to wage a winning campaign.
3. Know the issues.  What are the issues that this department of the government is dealing with?  What issues do you see on the horizon?  Do you feel strongly about these issues?  Where does the community stand on the issues?  Having this background information will prevent you from being put on the spot when someone asks you serious questions or when creating your talking points.  You want to be considered knowledgeable so that people will take you seriously.   Early opinions of you can make or break your chances for election.  Although you should not be overly concerned with sharing the popular position if you have the right position, in your view; you do want to be sure that you can stand firmly on whatever position you take.  Even if people disagree with you, they will respect you more if you stand for what you believe in and you may even be able to sway some people to your way of thinking if your position is based on facts and not just feelings.  Feelings are great but we all have feelings.  Stick with the facts.  (Side note: avoid talking about what you are against and avoid negative statements.  Even if you are against something, turn the issue to what you are for.  People like positive people.)
4. Know yourself.  Do a background search on yourself by googling your name, in every form that you can think of, and going back as far as you can to see what comes up.  Also, search your mental database and think about the worst thing that you have ever done.  How would you handle it if the entire world found out?  You need to be able to own it, explain it and move on.  You can’t own it and not explain it.  You can’t explain it but not own it.  Not doing both will make it hard for people to move on.  Most of us have skeletons in our closets and with social media becoming so active in politics, people will be digging for dirt on you because they want to know who you really are.  If you have said and done some things that you are ashamed of, then you need to either get over it so you can own it or cancel a career in politics.  Praying that no one ever finds out is a losing position.
5. Know your community.  There is nothing worse than a politician who doesn’t know their community.  Before you plan to announce your candidacy, get out and start meeting people.  Casually talk to them about issues and let them  get to know you.  Most people vote for people that they like and a lot of candidates will wait until the last-minute to start meeting people as a campaign strategy.  You want to position yourself as someone who cares about the community (hopefully you really do care) so that when they see you are running, they will want to support you because they feel that you are genuinely a nice person and that they have a connection with you that transcends politics.
6. Know social media.  In the past most conversations about politics were centered around information from the nightly news.  Today, politics is discussed on every social media network as well as traditional media.  Going forward, you will need traditional media but you will also need to have crafted a virtual brand that people can identify with because that is where people will be interacting with your brand the most.  We can’t interact with a newspaper ad or a television commercial but we can retweet, repost and replay anything that we find online.  You want to be a person with statements and ideals that people are eager to share in a positive way.  I know of a few people who have posted such judgmental and spiteful posts on their Facebook and Twitter pages that I think it would be difficult for them to campaign higher than a local office.  To run for a state or national office, you have to be able to appeal in appearance, tone and policy to a wide spectrum of American positions.  You may personally disagree with some positions but as an elected official, your job is not to represent your personal views but the wishes of the people who cast votes for you and that is why it is best for you to share their positions.  You should not think that you know best and they need to follow you.  They are electing your to be their collective voice.
7. Know the rules.  Before jumping onstage, make sure you understand how our government works, the campaign and campaign finance laws as well as any political party rules.  Have a plan in your head of what will happen in your life from the day you announce your candidacy until the day you end your first term.  Think through the whole process.  You need a strategic and a marketing plan before you file an application to ensure that what you are about to undertake is feasible.
8. Know your finances!  To campaign effectively is expensive, even in some local races.  You need signs, you need travel money, you need funds to donate, you have filing fees, the list goes on and on.  If this is your first time running for office, you may have a hard time securing donations so estimate what it would cost run an effective campaign and then determine how you will be able to fund the campaign.  Do you have any private supporters that would be willing to help you?  The majority of your funding should be secure prior to beginning your campaign, even if some amounts are pledged based on metrics such as making it past the primaries or raising a certain amount on your own.  You will need to have a few fundraisers disguised as meet and greets but know your market.  Don’t try to host a $100 dinner in an area where people are struggling economically.  You want to be sure that your fundraising is sensible and not too overt.  You want people to be happy to give to you.  That may seem strange but if you are doing all of those other things well then it won’t be as crazy as you think.

There are a few more tips that I could think of but this is enough for now.  I am sure you are wondering whether I am planning to run for office in 2014… only time will tell