What is the best first step for RUNNING for office :-D.?

Question

Spelling aside, what are some other tips to begin running for office besides fundraising and meeting people in the party for a nomination. Petitions was a good one, any more?

Answer 1

Start with the party that best suits you. Meet them and get your name on the ballot. If one does not suit you, you can make your own is some municipalities. That is where the petitions come in. These are first, because without your name on a line, your are not getting elected. Second and most important, once you are on a line, GO DOOR TO DOOR and meet your people face to face. It gains you face, respect and time to learn what they expect and what you can do for them and where what why you stand for and are running. Good luck and congratulations on getting involved. Democracy is not a spectators sport.

Answer 2

Familiarise yourself with the regulations on campaign spending and advertising.

Look at other candidates websites for the office you want and other offices (state, national, foreign countries) and see what the good and bad ones look like. Would they convince you to change the party you vote for.

Look at your appearance and grooming, tone of voice, personality, etc. Do you look like someone a man would want to marry his daughter? The basis of any good relationship is trust. Do you look/sound like someone people can trust?

Set up a website about yourself (even one page) and register it with search engines (pay a professional to create one if possible, or ask on here how to go about it).

Once, you have a nomination, add some campaigning info and your email contact address, about a single emotive issue (such as 'do you think hospitals are doing enough to prevent the spread of MRSA super-bugs', but more original) and contact a local newspaper to publicise the site.

For example, ask people to send you example of a particular problem. Invite them to have a good moan. When you have the results, summarise it in an article or interview for the paper and say what you will do about it if elected (pick something cheap that you can deliver and consider how to stop opponents stealing the idea).

You might want to sit down and have a good think about whether there's anything embarrasing in your past that you don't want everyone to know about. Former friends may have a lot of dirt on you.

Remember, you only have one reputation. Once, its tarnished, its game over for your political career. Consider each step and each speech carefully, think 4 moves ahead like a chess player. Everything you say now will be written down and quoted back at you years later. Every word you say in public and private must be politically correct and loyal to one party without alienating other potential voters.

Have you got some good slogans, like 'A new candidate for the informatin age'? JFK got elected on things no more meaningful than 'Onward to tomorrow, forward to the future, etc'. They are just to put people in a positive mood without making any spending commitments.

How do you get into a senior position quickly? In the UK, Winston Churchill did it by attacking all the weaknesses of the prime minister of the day to his face in speech after speech in parliament.

Answer 3

The first thing you have to do is decide what office you want to run for. If you're looking at being Mayor, then you have an idea what type of voter database to get (i.e. you'll need one for the whole city). If you're looking at running for county commissioner, then you will have to get a different list.

From there, you have to actually look at the list. Find out who are the most likely voters (people who have a trend of voting and the most recent elections). Find out if they are in your party base or not. If you have a strong party base, you know that you'll have a good shot at winning. If you're in a marginal district, then you'll know that you'll have to raise a lot of money, and spend a lot of time meeting and greeting and talking to people.

But the biggest thing that you'll have to do is to go DOOR-TO-DOOR. You have to meet people and get your face out there. One or two big public events won't do ... you have to go out there and shake their hands.

Read the book "How to win a local election" by Lawrence Grey ... it's covers everything that you'll have to do. http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Local-Election-Revised/dp/0871318784

Good luck!

Answer 4

You don't say which office. But really for any office a person is running for...you need to know the facts. If it's a local position...know your city/county charter. Attend meetings to be in the know of what is already going on. Make sure your background is as clean as a whistle. If there is time...try to serve on different committes and boards....you need to be known by as many people as possible. Get someone who is in the mix of things to honestly tell you when the time is 'right' for you to run for office. And one important thing......NEVER, NEVER, NEVER play the race card!!!! You must be excepted by all races. Be fair and opened minded...and ALWAYS keep your word if you make promises. And speaking of promises...never make them unless you know for a fact that you cna keep those promises. And above all......be honest and very ethical!!!

Answer 5

Make sure your face is out in the public. Shake as many hands as you can, work as a greeter at supermarkets with your name stickers and garner as much free press as you can get. Low cost face to face includes walking neighborhoods, visiting with store owners and offering to speak at public venues. Go to senior centers and meet with the elderly. It is time consuming but it also gives you the appearance of being a "man of the people." Go to your church, but visit other churches on Sunday during services and talk to everyone after services.

However, the best thing you can do is make sure you have any skeletons in your closet under control. There is an old political axiom that says if you have skeletons in your closet either hide them well or teach them to dance. It is a very astute observation.