Building CoalitionsStakeholder Management in Political Campaigns

Ronald NehringChairman, Republican Party of San Diego

County

Building CoalitionsBuilding Coalitions

• Factions dominate politics.• Coalition represents a plurality of

your district.• Critical part of reaching your vote

goal …but not the only part.• “Leave Us Alone” vs. “Takings”

Coalitions

Building Coalitions Building Coalitions

• Building coalitions means identifying potentially supportive groups within your district, and bringing them into your campaign.

• Neutralize potentially negative groups.

• A game of addition, not subtraction.• Your campaign = common interest

Identifying StakeholdersIdentifying Stakeholders• Stakeholder: Individual or group

potentially affected by the office you are seeking.

• Build a stakeholder matrix.• Target specific groups.

Taxpayers = Taxpayer groups.Business = Chamber of Commerce, NFIBProfessions = Trade AssociationsPeople of faith = Churches, faith-based

groups.Tech workers = Dell, Microsoft employees.

Stakeholder MatrixStakeholder Matrix

Comprehensive list of all stakeholders with a potential interest in your office.

1. Identify and list each group.2. Determine their perceived position

on your campaign.3. Determine actual position.4. Which groups’ positions can you

influence?

Stakeholder MatrixStakeholder Matrix

You

Stakeholder ManagementStakeholder Management

Potentially Positive Groups:

Incorporate into your campaign.

Bringing a group into your coalition

Bringing a group into your coalition

• Prepare to approach the leadership:• Nature of the group.• Leadership.• Membership.• How does it communicate?• Important dates and events.• Partisan?• Precedents?• What causes have they adopted in the past?

What public policy interests do they have?• Calendar of events?

Bringing a group into your coalition

Bringing a group into your coalition

• Your victory is their victory.• Approach the leadership, or entire

group (depending on circumstances).• L. L. H. L.• When the time is right, ask for their

support. Don’t expect to get it if you don’t ask.

Once You Secure Their Support

Once You Secure Their Support

• Formal endorsement• Financial support from group and/or

members?• Membership list for voter database?

• Most groups are stingy with lists. But, where there is a will there’s a way.

• One-time use of the list?• Communication to members of group’s

support?• Volunteers for campaign?• Surrogate speakers?• Voter registration?• Participation in events?

Stakeholder ManagementStakeholder Management

Potentially Negative Groups:

Neutralize when possible.

Neutralizing ThreatsNeutralizing Threats

• Identify potential threats when developing the stakeholder matrix.

• Determine which potentially-negative groups can be neutralized.

• How?• Build relationships.• Identify common ground.• Identify support within the group.

Building CoalitionsStakeholder Management in Political Campaigns

Ronald NehringChairman, Republican Party of San Diego

County