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Scott Spector
&Sondra Milkie
GETTING READY TO RUN
INTRODUCTIONS
A LITTLE ABOUT WISCONSIN PROGRESS
We at Wisconsin Progress envision a Wisconsin (and a United States) that is a better, more equitable place to live , work, and raise a
family.
In pursuit of this goal we recruit, train, elect, and develop
candidates for local and state Legislative office.
A RECORD OF SUCCESS
SINCE OUR FOUNDING IN 2009:• Conducted 34 trainings around the state
for candidates and activists.• Recruited and trained close to 200
candidates for local office.• Over 70% of our candidates have won
their elections.
LAST CYCLE:• Worked with 86 candidates for spring
office; 80% were elected.• Won all 9 partisan primaries where we
endorsed candidates.• Elected 11 new progressive champions to
the state legislature.
In the past 12 months, we have conducted 15 trainings and trained 268 candidates and
activists.
WHY RUN FOR OFFICE?
From city council to US Senator – all elected offi cials change lives.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BENCH BUILDING
Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN
COUNTY BOARD
ASSEMBLY
CONGRESSSENATE!
COUNTY BOARD
ASSEMBLY
CONGRESS!
CITY COUNCIL
Rep. MARK POCAN
MARY BURKESCHOOL
BOARDGOVERNOR?
LET’S FIND OUT!
IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE FOR YOU?
STEP ONE: ARE YOU READY TO
RUN?
What does the offi ce you’re
running for do?
What issues do they deal with?
What is the annual budget? What are
the 3 biggest line items?
What is the time commitment?
How often do they meet?
When do they meet?
How long is the term?
KNOW THE OFFICE
Who is the incumbent and are they bad on the issues?
What is the voter turn out? Are there any election trends
working for or against you?
How much money is typically spent on the races in your area?
What issues matter to the people in your area?
Why did the last candidate win or lose?
What are the boundaries of your district?
KNOW THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
• Are you a good candidate for offi ce:
Does your family support your decision to run?
• ‘I don’t know’, ‘maybe’, ‘sort of’ ‘I haven’t asked’ are all
WRONG answers!
• Are you willing to put the time and effort into a campaign?
• Are you willing to ask your friends and family for money?
• Do you have time to campaign?
• Campaigning can be a 20 hour a week commitment!
• Will you knock on doors?
• What talents and assets can you bring to elective offi ce?
• How are you involved in your community?
KNOW THY SELF
KNOW THY SELF
Self-Research
Depending on your community and what you’re running for,
running for offi ce may or may not seem to be an invasion of
privacy.
Collect all the information about yourself you can so you can be
prepared for what the enemy might throw at you!
Areas of Interest
Education
Business
Financial
Personal
Lets take a look at some example questions…
KNOW THY SELF
Education• Where did you go to high school, did you graduate? Where did you
go to college? Were they public or private institutions?• What degrees did you earn? Did you actually complete your degree?• Have you repaid student loan?
Business• What is your complete work record? Go back and recreate a timeline
of your work history. • What was your relationship with your employers like?
Did you win any awards professionally? Hold any leadership position? Hold a position with your union?
• Were you ever fired for misconduct?• Are there business deals you have been involved with that
may raise questions?
KNOW THY SELF
Financial• Are you in default on any loans? Do you have any liens or recent
judgments against you?• Have you always paid your income taxes in full and on time? • Do you have a good credit rating? Does your spouse?• Who have you made political contributions to?
Personal• Have you or anyone in your family ever had problems with law
enforcement?• Do you have a record of anything occurring in court?• What organizations are you associated with or volunteer at?• Do you serve on any local boards? Hold a position at a child’s
school? All of this is good and demonstrates leadership!• Are there any articles that have appeared in newspapers where you
are directly quoted? Have you written letters to the editor?
If you have had past problems in any of those areas, it
doesn’t mean you can’t run for offi ce!
It just means we need to get out in front of any potential
problems…
KNOW THY SELF
When is election day?
What paperwork do you have to fi le to get on the
ballot?
When is that paperwork due?
Legal requirements for being a candidate
Knowledge is power!
The more information you have to make a decision, the better your decision will be. If
you really want to know if you should run for offi ce – do the research!
KNOW THE RULES
STEP TWO: FIRST STEPS TO
RUNNING
BUILD A KITCHEN CABINET
Your Kitchen Cabinet will be your table of trusted advisors.
They will help bear the heavy workload of the campaign and free you up to do what candidates do best:
Raise money and knock on doors!
BUILD A KITCHEN CABINET
• Campaign Manager
• Treasurer
• Bookkeeper
• Volunteer coordinator
• Data guru
• Community outreach
• Door Buddies
No matter what offi ce you decide to run for, raising money will be one of your two top priorities.
Building a list is a political art form – here’s how to start:
Everyone you ever met goes on the list If your family sends out a Christmas Card, or if you’ve
recently had a wedding and still have your invitation list – those are good places to start
Keep your list in Excel It will be easier to keep track of and utilize later
Have columns for all methods of contact: Phone, PERSONAL e-mail, address, city, state, zip
DEVELOP YOUR FUNDRAISING LIST
DEVELOP FUNDRAISING LIST
Groups to consider when building your list
Friends
Family
Members of your local union
Church group
High school class list
Kiwanis
Rotary
PTO/PTA
The most valuable resource to a campaign is a candidates time.
Ensure that you use your most precious resource in the best way by keeping a calendar:
BUILD YOUR CALENDAR
Doors17 Hours
Call Time6 Hours
Doors18 Hours
Call Time3 Hours
Doors14 Hours
Call Time0 Hours
Candidate Doors12-6
Candidate Doors12-6
Candidate Doors10-4
Candidate Doors10-4
Call Time!5-8
Call Time!5-8
Call Time!5-8
Candidate Doorsw/volunteer5-8
Candidate Doorsw/volunteer5-8
Candidate Doors5-7Suzie Soccer Game 7:30
Ben Bowling Birthday Party7
Candidate Doors5-8
County Dem Party Meeting6-9
Kitchen Cabinet Meeting – 7
Candidate Doors12-8
Candidate Doorsw/volunteer5-8
Candidate Doors5-8
Work Retreat
• If you don’t write it down – it doesn’t
exist.
• Why Plan?• Identifies what you need to do to win.• Establishes timelines, and outlines the budget• Helps maintain focus
• We will help you fi ll out a campaign plan
for you today, and help you adjust it
through the campaign
• What will go in your campaign plan is
another
training…
WRITE YOUR CAMPAIGN PLAN
NEXT STEPS
Work on building your networks, political capital• Volunteer with your union or local political campaigns. • Meet the volunteers who you will need to help you win;
Lean how campaigns really work
• Start attending the meetings of the body you plan on running for• Is there a sitting member who can introduce you around
and tell you what’s going on• Are there other boards and bodies whose meetings you
should attend?
• Can you become more involved (take a leadership role) in an organization you are a part of?• This demonstrates leadership and may help build your list• It may help you generate news stories on your work
Start working on the first steps we already discussed
RUNNING IN 2015 OR 2016
• Time is on your side…
• Can you relocate to a diff erent community to
improve your electoral chances?
• Can you add experience to help your candidacy
• Education?
• Boards and commissions?
• Volunteer activity?
• Can you change jobs to improve your prospects?
• Its never too early to start building your
capital!
RUNNING IN 2017 AND BEYOND
QUESTIONS?
OUR CONTACT INFORMATION
SCOTT [email protected]
SONDRA [email protected]
Please take the time to fi ll out a Wisconsin Progress Training Follow-up Worksheet and give it to us before you go!
Thank you!!
