Simplifying Your Path To Success

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Welcome to Smarter Campaigns' Blog!

Here you will find free info for the public on how to run for office, the latest tips and techniques, strategies to win and more. We hope you enjoy. All information and photos contained herein are used for educational, informational and commentary purposes only, are not used for profit, and are subject to the Fair use doctrine.

Posts tagged running for office
WHY DO PEOPLE RUN FOR OFFICE?

There are many reasons people choose to run for public office. Some of these are altruistic and based on a desire to genuinely make a difference while others are entirely ego-driven. All candidates should have a 25 word "I'm running because..." that articulates their public reasons for running. This is carefully crafted and is usually not the real reason a candidate is running. So why do people run?

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EARLY MONEY: PICK THE LOW HANGING FRUIT FIRST

When starting your fundraising operations you want to pick the “low hanging fruit” first. This means finding and targeting the people most likely to give you money with the least amount of effort. Friends, family, co-workers are your best targets. These people know you personally and presumably like you. While many will say “no,” this group has the highest probability of saying “yes” and should be the first phone calls you make to raise money.

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CAMPAIGNING: WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU LOSE?

Most candidates run to win. However, unless you run a technically flawless campaign your odds are slim. 95% of incumbents get re-elected. Even good challengers sometimes lose, but the ones who make the simple mistakes stand no chance. While most candidates want to win the race they're running for, there are a number of times where a candidate will run in an unwinnable race.

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PROVING VIABILITY: HOW TO WIN OVER THE SKEPTICS

After you decide to run, you have to convince everyone that you are a viable candidate to win the election. Friends and family must be convinced if they are going to give you their hard earned money. Volunteers and activists must be convinced if they are going to give you their valuable time. Party officials must be convinced so that they do not work against you.

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ARE YOU RUNNING FOR THE RIGHT OFFICE?

Many candidates decide to jump into a race without assessing their prospects. They see an opening and dive in head first. These are usually the candidates driven by ego who want to see their name in the paper, and these candidates usually fail. With this in mind, here are a few questions to help you decide if you are running for the right office or at the right time.

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VOLUNTEERS: YOUR GREATEST RESOURCE

Volunteers are the lifeblood of a campaign. They freely give of their time to help you do often tedious work. Campaigns wouldn’t succeed without them. Whether it is the little old lady stuffing envelopes and making calls or the 14 year old doing data entry, there needs to be a place on your campaign for EVERY PERSON who wants to help you. Everyone should have a role that caters to their skills, interests and expertise.

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UNFORTUNATELY NAMED CANDIDATES: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Many parents give their children unfortunate or hilarious names. Some of those children grow up to run for office. However, having a memorable name can work to your advantage when Election Day rolls around. Dick Swett was repeatedly elected to Congress by the people of New Hampshire. Here is a selection of some of our favorite candidate names and the outcome of their elections.

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WHAT SKILLS MAKE CANDIDATES SPECIAL?

A famous political consultant used to say “In a tsunami, a lot of shit gets washed up on shore.” After meeting Members of Congress one often scratches their head as to how in the hell they got elected in the first place. The reality is that no matter how awful a candidate is, if they have certain skills they can increase their chances of success exponentially.

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