Election Dynamics Part 2: Issues and Goals

This entry is the 2nd part of our 3 part series on Election Dynamics.

The next component of electoral activity is issues and goals of running in an election. These two pieces are the most vital considerations to running for office. A candidates issues must be important to the race they are running in. While this may seem profoundly obvious, it is worth stating for two primary reasons. First, third party candidates, especially those who are highly ideological (intense ideology should be avoided, but that is a separate issue), tend to focus on issues that are often far way from the local or state race they are running in. A prime example of this was from a mayoral race in Des Moines, Iowa in 2002. The candidate for the Socialist Workers Party was primarily concerned about US foreign policy towards Cuba. In a mayoral race. In Des Moines, Iowa. Needless to say, they did not do well, even by third-party standards. Second, individual candidates my have favorite "pet" issues that are not salient to the race they are considering to running in.

Know your issues for the race you are running in.

Sources for learning more about the issues that a race revolves around is to examine the website or reports that are issued by the body that is being elected. Example - if you are running for city council, thoroughly examine the city council minutes and reports for the past several months to a year. This will give a concrete base as to what is being discussed within the elected body. Further research can be done in local news outlets via keyword searches. Another excellent tool is a Google Alert. This is essentially the internet version of a "clipping service" that collects web entries (news, blogs, etc) regarding a particular topic that you specify. Alerts can be set up for issues like "global warming" or for an elected body such as "Detroit Lakes city council."

Do not forget candidate websites from previous campaigns for the office you are targeting. Many are left up for public browsing long after a campaign ends. If the sites are not availabe, the Wayback Machine can be used. This site archives webpages that are no longer active. Some pictures and links may no longer be active, but the text will be available that will show the types of issues that were salient for the race at that time.

What is your goal for running for an office?

Silly question, right? Wrong. Lets look at a video...

So you really do need to have a short, succinct, and compelling reason why you are running for office. This reason is not just for public consumption, but also for you and your supporters. Reasons for running for office might include:

1. Winning!
2. The campaign may be an advertisement for your local, state, or national party
3. Building a campaign organization in order to transform it into a political party once the race is over (assuming one was not there prior)
4. Getting issues or perspectives into the campaign that might otherwise be ignored.

The types of issues you are likely to encounter, and the reasons for why you are running are two areas that a potential candidate needs to examine early on. They will guide research, along with how to craft a campaign strategy that is appropriate not only the race, but for the goals that you set, whether winning, or something else!