Labor Day has come and gone. Campaign season has begun. This piece is meant for those who are brave enough to be running for the first time. Thank you for doing that.
A question you will often be asked is, “Why are you running?”
A new candidate’s reflexive answer is almost always wrong. It is a sentence that begins with the word “I.”
As in, “I have a lot of experience in ya-da ya-da and blah blah blah…”
Or, “I’m retired and have some time available. Blah blah blah.”
The correct answer to the question, “Why are you running?” never begins with the word “I.” It always begins with the word “We.”
People don’t care what’s in it for you. They want to know what’s in it for them.
As in, “We’ve got to fill all these potholes” or “We’ve got to have a school board that isn’t chasing good teachers away.”
“We need a legislature that will protect a woman’s right to choose.” (That’s an especially good one this year).
Pick your subject. The farm bill, the water project, the Mayor’s latest boondoggle. The sentence that begins with “We” enrolls the listener in a joint cause. The sentence that begins with “I” makes you sound like just another politician who craves ego gratification.
This is where it gets interesting. Exactly what is that cause into which you, the candidate, standing at the voter’s front door, wishes to enroll that voter?
The best way to find that answer, usually, is to avoid locking in the first obvious thing that comes to mind. Lord spare us from another candidate on a Mission From God.
Another mistake is to assign a committee to come up with the answer.
Get out there, shake some hands, work the room, knock on some doors, and ask people what they think. By the time you have knocked on several dozen doors, you will know good answers.
In the meantime, answer that why-are-you-running question this way, “We’ve got a few big challenges coming up.” Wait for heads to nod, then launch into your best guess. Potholes, the farm bill, the water rates, whatever.
Then, and here’s the big secret: shut up and listen. Ask some questions.
Sooner or later, it will become natural and comfortable.
You don’t need to have all the answers. A general sense of the direction in which you want things to head is all that most voters want. Yes, there are some voters who want to know in detail what you think about that mining permit. Don’t worry; they’ll identify themselves, and the basic advice remains the same: listen.
With the exception of single-issue voters, people do not view the candidate on their doorstep as the human embodiment of a checklist of issues. Hmmm. Three boxes checked yes, two boxes checked no.
Remember this: issues are merely the grist that people use to learn the personalities of the candidates.
For the most part, you are in a personality contest. You are running for Homecoming King or Queen, just as in high school. Rarely are you going to win in rural and small-town America because you successfully navigated an obstacle course of policy minutiae.
You are going to win if they like you and trust you and if they think you are paying attention to them.
By the way, this is also a good approach to use when creating that first brochure or door hanger. Remember that less is more. The fewer words and the bigger the graphics, the better chance it will be read.
The test for design and copy is simple: can the voter get the message in the time it takes to glance at the card on the way from the mailbox to the kitchen trash can? Look over your draft. If a clear difference between you and the other candidate is not instantly apparent, rewrite. Cut all the fluff. Hit them between the eyes with one clear difference.
Here’s a bonus tip for that door hanger. Don’t pay the printer to do an expensive die cut that opens like a flower to slide onto a door knob. Instead, have the printer drill a small hole in the center of the card about an inch from the top and go buy a few boxes of rubber bands.
Now get out there and talk to people. Happy hunting!
Jody Severson is an independent political, communication, and advertising consultant who lives in Rapid City, South Dakota. Read more.