Scott Spector &

Sondra MilkieGETTING 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 officials change lives.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

BENCH BUILDING

Sen. TAMMY BALDWIN

COUNTY BOARDASSEMBLYCONGRES

SSENATE!

COUNTY BOARDASSEMBLY

CONGRESS!

CITY COUNCIL

Rep. MARK POCANMARY

BURKESCHOOL BOARDGOVERNOR?

LET’S FIND OUT!IS RUNNING FOR OFFICE FOR

YOU?

STEP ONE: ARE YOU READY TO

RUN?

What does the office 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 office: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 office?• 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 office 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 office!

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 file to get on the

ballot?When is that paperwork due?Legal requirements for being a candidateKnowledge 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 office – 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 office 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 fill out a campaign plan for you today, and help you adjust it through the campaign

• What will go in your campaign plan is anothertraining…

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 different 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 SPECTORspector@wisconsinprogress.org

SONDRA MILKIEmilkie@wisconsinprogress.org

Please take the time to fill out a Wisconsin Progress Training Follow-up Worksheet and give it to us before you go!

Thank you!!