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Showing posts with the label How to Run for Office

Developing a winning campaign message - what voters want and how it intersects with your strengths

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A campaign message isn’t just a slogan—it’s the core of your campaign. It defines why you’re running and why voters should support you. If you want to win, you need a compelling, memorable message that resonates with voters. What Makes a Great Campaign Message? It’s Simple & Clear: Your message should be easy to understand in one sentence. It’s Relevant: It should address the issues that matter most to voters. It’s Memorable: A strong message sticks with people long after they hear it. It Sets You Apart: It should highlight what makes you the best candidate. Let's look at the 2024 race for President of the United States in which the 45th President Donald Trump ran against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The video below, titled "Together" is an excellent example of President Trump's message.  It is clear, hopeful and has a message that was consistent throughout his entire campaign: As a contrast, the Harris campaign, that had the apparent advantage o...

What book or books can help me run a political campaign?

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  When I ran my first political campaign in 1995, I did not know what I was doing. I was a 20 year-old college student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  I had excellent organizational skills, I was a former boy scout, I was in Navy ROTC, and I was in College Republicans.  I was also a lifeguard at the university's aquatic center.  None of these things prepared me for running a countywide race. I did not even think of looking for a book about how to run a political campaign.  I thought that type of text would not exist. So everything I began learning about how to run a political campaign, I had to learn organically - either by creating my own system or learning from others who had run campaigns, before. Fortunately, I was able to work with a campaign professional who had run federal and state political races.  I took classes about campaigning that were offered in my state, and I began to learn how campaigns were structured and how successful people won t...