5W-H: Who?
Welcome to the Fourth in our 6.5-part series on the 5Ws & an H of running for office. We’ve jumbled up the typical “Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How” into the chronology of how those questions should play out in politics: Why, Where, What, Who, When, and How. Welcome to our Who…
Who currently holds the job?
With whom should you speak?
Whom do you seek to represent (are you a good fit?)
Bonus Question: How do you remember all this?
Who currently holds the job?
Is the person representing you already doing a good job, FIND OUT if they are voting how you would vote on issues important to you.
Yes: Don’t run against someone who is doing a good job. It’s a jerky move. It divides your community, severely limits your ability to get votes (why vote for you when XX is good?), as well as fundraising. Elections are predominantly about name ID and incumbents win 80% or more of the time. It’s hard to get people to give you money when your opponent is likely gonna win.
Incumbents (especially those that have been there a while) are always on the lookout for someone they can support to take over when they’re ready to retire. You get a bit territorial over your area and protective of your constituents and want to leave the seat in good hands.
Get involved in their campaign and support them. Make sure you’re top-of-mind when they decide not to run.
No: If you don’t like the job someone is doing, check to see when they are up for re-election before you go file against them. Most cities have two people representing each district, with offsetting elections (alternating election cycles). If that person isn’t up, you’ll be filing against a possible incumbent who might already be doing what you like.
DO YOUR RESEARCH: Even if you don’t like how someone is voting, you’re going to waste a lot of time, money, sweat equity, and heartbreak running against someone with a ton of name ID and money.
Seek first to understand: Ask for a meeting to talk about the issue that’s bugging you, provide your perspective and expertise as a resource.
With whom should you speak?
First, your family: As Caitlyn Huxley so pointedly demonstrated in this fantastic graphic, if your family isn’t on board, Don’t👏Do👏It👏. This is not worth your marriage or your relationship with your kids. That being said, no kid (especially teenagers) is ever going to be thrilled with their parent being more visible in the community, so that’s a conversation and constant egg-shell walk you’ll have to navigate as a family. Here are a few gratuitous eyerolls to help prepare you. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Second, talk to people who have done the job. Get the goods. And the bads… You want to go in with clear eyes (full hearts – CAN’T LOSE). We’ve seen so many candidates recruited to run with wining and dining, enamored with the proximity to power, and then when they’re elected, it’s disenchanting. In many cases, candidates aren’t told they would miss their kid’s senior band concert or last volleyball game, because of veto session, they would have to choose between important votes and family events.
Third, check with community and/or party leaders for a few reasons:
If there’s already someone planning to run and they have better name ID or money than you, or are farther down the planning/fundraising path, you might want to reconsider.
You want these people to know you’re running because they can help you clear the field for potential opponents.
These folks will have great advice, both from a “soft skills” perspective on what topics you might want to highlight or avoid in certain parts of a community, but also good data on their previous elections and experiences.
Whom do you seek to represent (are you a good fit?)
Who are your constituents?
What do you know about them? About the district?
Cities, Counties, School Districts (buildings/boundaries), Colleges, Neighborhoods
Churches & Civic Organizations (business, philanthropic, service)
Businesses: Retail, Services, Industrial, other industry
Who do you know from these subsets?
Have you been involved in local activities – advisory boards, church groups, chambers of commerce, PTAs, etc.
What can you learn about them?
What are the age, income, language, religious, racial, and educational percentages?
How have they voted in recent special elections on hot topics – school bond issues, tax initiatives, constitutional amendments, etc.?
Which are the highest and lowest voter turnout precincts?
Pro-Tip: If you aren’t familiar with these groups and don’t know anyone involved in them, it’s a good bet you aren’t ready to run for office. Find an advisory board or appointed committee of interest to you professionally or personally, and volunteer. Each of the above organizations has volunteer committees or appointed boards they need to fill – and they’re always looking for people to fill the roles. This is a great way to learn about an organizations and how it works within and throughout your community.
Bonus Question: Who said what?
You’ll be meeting TONS of people - not all are current or future constituents. Some may be donors. Some may be supporters which are not in your district, but want to support you with a donation or yard sign location. Some may lead, employ, or minister to current/future constituents.
So, how do you remember these people, their interests and specialities? How do you know which live in your district? Which vote? Which can you convince to vote for you? Do you have a photographic memory? Me, neither.
Check out our VoteSharp voter relationship management tool. It’s a voter database where you can make notes, track constituent email, yard signs, donations - all tied to a map pin on each voter’s house. Pricing starts at $375/year for districts with less than 20,000 registered voters. Contact us today!