What to Do BEFORE You Run
Six steps to victory
Trainer: Dean M. Nielsen
Contact: (206) 443-5566
dnielsen@progressivemajority.org

Six Steps to Victory
Overarching theme: Plan, plan, plan
• Complete a self-assessment
• Do self-research
• Learn your district
• Go to school
• What to do if you are 1 + year out
• What to do if you are 5 + years out

In preparing for battle I have always found that
plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
ASSESSMENT

Step 1: Complete a self-assessment
• Who are you and why do you want to run?
• Are you prepared ….
• Does your family support your decision?
• Does your employer support your decision?
• Are you able to take time off?
• Do you have a fundraising base?
• Do you understand what it will take to win?

Step 1: Complete a self-assessment
Fundamentally,
DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS?
DO YOU HAVE A GROUNDED BELIEF
SYSTEM?
ARE YOU WILLING TO DO
EVERYTHING THAT IT TAKES?

Whatever you plan,
please plan something
“A good plan today is better
than the perfect plan
tomorrow”
– Robert DeNiro,
Wag the Dog

Step 2: Do self-research
Four major personal areas of attack:
- Education
- Business / Employment
- Financial
- Personal
Remember, the point of running is to win!

Step 2: Do self-research
Education
•Did you drop out? Default on loans?
•Lie about educational background?
•Did you publish controversial papers?

Step 2: Do self-research
Business / Employment
• Have you been fired?
• Do you have any disgruntled
business associates?
• As an employer, did you pay
all of your taxes?
• Any work-related lawsuits?
• Better Business Bureau complaints?
• Questionable business practices?
• As an employer, did you offer your workers
benefits?
•Were your employees unionized?

Step 2: Do self-research
Financial
- Are you in default of loans? Bankruptcy?
- Do you pay your taxes? Any liens on your property?
- Have you paid child support and alimony?

Step 2: Do self-research
Personal
• Have you been arrested
– court/legal action?
• Controversial past opinions?
• What’s been in the
newspaper? Online?
• Have you voted?
• Ties to controversial organizations?
• Do you live in the district that you want to run in?

Step 2: Do self-research
Voting record as a elected / appointed?
- Research your voting record
- Missed votes a problem
- Lack of action
/ accomplishments
- Unpopular decisions
- Too much travel
- Mistakes made in office
- Problems with staff or appointees
- Problems with campaign finances
Money plus votes equals a big problem

Step 3: Go to school
• Progressive Majority
(AZ, CA, CO, MN, PA, WA, WI)
• Democratic Gain
• EMILY’s List
• Victory Fund
• Wellstone Action!
• White House Project
(CO, DC, GA, MI, MN, NY)
• Center for Progressive Leadership
(AZ, CO, MI, OH, PA)
• EMERGE
(AZ, CA, MA, ME, NM, NV, WI)

Step 4: Learn your district and race
- What are the boundaries?
- What are recent election trends?
- How many people are registered to vote?
- What’s the turnout?
- How much was spent by the last winners?
- What issues will improve people’s lives?
- Who got what endorsements, and why?
- Who gave to the winning/losing
candidates?
- Why did the last candidate win/lose?

Step 5: If you are 1 + years out
- What community organizations can you join to
improve your electoral chances and/or fundraising
base?
- Volunteer with the party and campaigns to make
connections and learn “how it really works”
- Study and learn the issues & attend meetings of the
body that you are running for
- Can you be more active in your base organizations?
- Can you do a community service project that helps
your community standing? Can you get press on this?

Step 5: If you are 1 + years out
- Meet key community members, decision
makers, journalists, bloggers, big donors etc.
through work in other organizations
- Get to know the decision makers for party,
unions and ideological PACs both in and out of
the district
- Get to know the money people in your district
- Meet people who regularly volunteer in political
campaigns

Step 5: If you are 1 + years out
Begin building lists
- Assemble your lists in electronic format!
- Make sure you have current addresses
- Work phone, home phone, cell phone, fax number,
email addresses (not govt.)
- Add in spouse name, names & ages of children to
database and other notes
- Every group has a “connector”
- Mail your list a birthday / holiday card to make sure
you have a correct address and to renew connection
with you
- Call people who you haven’t talked to in awhile

Step 5: If you are 1 + years out
Who do you put on your lists?
- Start with the friends and family on your
personal “Holiday Card List”
- Now … who do you add to that???

Step 5: If you are 1 + years out
• Who do you put on your lists? (cont.)
– business associates, current and former bosses,
employees and union representatives, customers,
suppliers
– neighbors, extended friends, acquaintances, friends of
family, former neighbors
– elementary, high school, college classmates, teachers,
former boy/girl friends, coaches, sport team members
– church/temple membership, other religious affiliations
– members of affiliated orgs – scouts, rotary,
neighborhood, clubs, meetups, Drinking Liberally, etc.
– political friends: local / regional party officers, PCO’s
– children, children’s teachers, children’s friends
– people on your personal food chain

Step 6: If you are 5 + years out
- Can you relocate to a different community
to improve your electoral chances?
- Can you add experience to help your
candidacy – Education? Boards and
commissions? Volunteer activity? Base?
- Can you change jobs to improve your
prospects?

Now go win your campaign!
“I love it when a plan comes
together”
– Hannibal Smith, The A-Team

Contact: Progressive Majority
www.progressivemajority.org