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Ten Commandments of Campaigning

The 10 Commandments of CampaigningVeteran campaign strategist Jefrey Pollock presents 10 simple rules for amore successful campaign season1. Money is the Lord, your saviorYou shall have no other lords besides money. Start raising money shortly after birth. They say that ifyou are going to drink all day, you need to start in the morning. In politics, if you want to be in thegame, you need to start fundraising early and stay with it. If you are really rich, skip this step andcall me. Im available for adoption.2. Thou shalt not take the Lord (fundraising) in vain Spend money sparingly on all non-communications expenses. Aeron chairs are nice, but campaign

workers dont need them. Pizza makes them happy. More than 75% of your campaign budgetsshould be spent on direct voter communication (paid media, mail, paid phones).3. Keep holy the rest time On every good campaign, candidates block out some portion of their week for person al time. Dontlet the campaign ruin it. Whether its a Sunday morning at Church, or an hour reserved to spendwith the kids and spouse, stick to it. Its the only way to stay sane. 4. Honor your family -- the base Never take the base for granted. You need their support to win. You need to stroke their collectiveegos. And you need their votes.5. Thou shalt focus on swing voters, not political leadersEndorsements are good, and necessary. But in order to win, you need actual voters. The floors arelittered with "endorsed candidates" who end up losing to the ones who raise more money andpersuade more swing voters. And target ONLY the voters you need to win. Non-voters cant helpyou. People who always vote for an opposing party cant help you. Find the swin g voters, and targetthem with all of your campaign tools.6. Thou shalt not commit adulteryThis actual commandment doesn't require any alteration. Too many campaigns have failed due toscandal mid-course. And if something does go wrong, be forthcoming. Dont lie. In the words ofChris Matthews, "Hang a lantern on your problem" as voters will understand and forgive yourtrespasses, but never understand why you would lie.7. Thou shalt stay on messageMost candidates are easily thrown off message by events of the days or by clever opponents. Yourmessage (determined by excellent survey research from political polling firms like Global StrategyGroup) is the key to winning your campaign. Repeat it over, and over, and over, and over, and over.And when youre bored with delivering it, youre probably not nearly done repeating it.8. Thou shalt be preparedResearch, prepare, plan, organize these are the things that make successful campaigns. Have acampaign plan, and stick to it. Do opposition research on your opponent, and self-research on your

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candidate so that you know all the potential positives and comparative information that could beused in the campaign.9. Thou shalt not change who you areVoters can smell when something is fishy candidates who change like chameleons to fit thecurrent mood or issue environment. Yet, you can do research to determine what voters care about.

Polls are tools which tell you the voters needs, emotions, and values. Polls are not about changingthe issue positions of a candidate (if youre pro-choice in an anti-choice district, for example, never,never change your position).10. Thou shalt listenListen to voters. Listen to consultants. Listen to the community, business, and political leadersbefore you assume that you know what is best for the people you intend to serve. And voters likecandidates who actually listen to their problems.