Those who don’t care about the mechanics of an election can tune out now and move along to more interesting reading.
For those who live and die by election results, I hope this column adds some value.
There is essentially one week to go before the all-important election. For those of us who have worked on a campaign, served as a campaign manager, or were a candidate, you know these last seven days can make or break you – in more ways than one.
Putting aside the paid consultations, who are true merchants and mercenaries, the true believers are those who sacrifice it all as a candidate or staffer and know it is time to burn the boats and know their fate rides on your ability to survive and be victorious in a week.
I have worked on campaigns since 1984 as a volunteer, staffer, candidate, and advisor. What I have learned these last 40 years is that even if you didn’t graduate in the top 10 percent of your class, you learn a bunch through political osmosis.
First things first, campaigns aren’t a hobby like stamp collecting. If you are in the fight of a campaign, it is a fight to live or die. I have never pursued goals casually in my life. I was bred to take each challenge seriously and understand that nothing will be given, and everything must be earned. The phrase – no free lunch – was a childhood mantra that I heard and memorized since age 5. And it has served me well in my lifetime.
A few tips for the closing week.
Remember, this advice is for the next week, when the election outcome may still hang in the balance. The candidate must understand that they can still move her/his needle to make this effort a winning one. The old “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” adage has never been more appropriately applicable. Elections are frequently lost because of missed opportunities. If you really want to be haunted for the remainder of your life, take a day off in the last week for some “me time” and then lose by half a percent.
In 1998, I was campaign manager for the re-election of a county executive. We won four years earlier in a shocker and the vote margin was 2,500 votes. Not for the faint-hearted. This time, we had the machinery of the county government, and we raised millions and had the wind at our back. However, I knew it was important not to lose sight, despite our advantages (Democrats still outnumbered Republicans 3-1), particularly since the opponent was former Newark Mayor Ken Gibson, who was featured on the cover of Time Magazine and was a living legend in Essex County as the first black Mayor of Newark.
With one week to go, I gathered the hundred or so volunteers and noticed the overconfidence of many. I stood up on a table and asked for everyone’s attention. The overjoyed group was laughing and joking as I informed the group that with seven days to go the campaign doesn’t look good. We just received some bad polling data, and I said let’s look around this room, because at this rate, in seven days most should think about polishing up and updating their resumes.
You could have heard a pin drop as the place fully came to grips that a loss was entirely possible.
Like hitting a switch, in one hour, the one hundred volunteers swelled to 300, and for the next seven days, we ran a 24-hour-a-day campaign sweatshop. County employees took vacation and sick time and worked harder than ever before. Lawyers and professionals with serious contracts parachuted employees and assets, and suddenly, we had an operation.
We won by 8200 votes, and I believe that last burst of nervous excitement made all the difference.
As a candidate, you assume responsibility for all aspects of your life dream and don’t settle. You must do everything in your power to relentlessly run it out and get through the tape first. With the clock ticking, all eyes are on you. I have written before about adopting the psychology of a winner, and now more than ever, that attitude must be on full display.
The candidate must do the following:
1) Make sure the aggressive budget is fully funded, and if not, make the pitch immediately to top fundraisers, stating that more money is needed in 48 hours.
2) Call your top staffers and consultants, daily, for an action plan and to target those still fence sitting group of voters that can swing the election.
3) Visit with volunteers and keep the enthusiasm up and keep the troops optimistic and confident.
4) Create an action and spending plan working backwards from election day to day. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments daily if needed.
5) STAY OFF SOCIAL MEDIA. If you let internet trolls, get in your head you are letting the other side win.
6) Remember not to ignore your spouse, partner, or significant other. And if you don’t have a special someone in your life, the last week of a campaign is a really, really bad time to find one.
7) Pay attention to this one: reach out to some supporters of your opponent and try and get some intelligence and maybe allow the word of “defection” to infect the opponent’s camp.
This one requires some explanation. A reminder that campaigns operate on rumor and speculation more than the Housewives of New Jersey, so take advantage of this opportunity and create moments of chaos in the enemy camp.
During my do-or-die campaigns (as a candidate and campaign manager), I remember having coffee and meetings in public places with some of my opponent’s friends and colleagues just a week before the election. Most of these people are flattered by the attention, and unless they are in the inner circle, most feel left out and have opinions to give. Your job is to give some attention, glean some information, or just create a wave of dissent or rumor in the other campaign. You will be stunned at how much information you can pick up from attention-starved political junkies.
Some of these people will justify the meeting as serving the primary and hoping they are gaming you better than you are gaming them. Most people don’t care how loyal they are to the primary; they dream about being in action, and that narcissistic character will tell dozens about this event. The bonus is that when word leaks out —and it always does —your opponent will have to address this breach and will lose precious hours tracking down the footprint of this unconventional attack.
As a senior staffer or campaign manager, you should ensure the candidate adheres to the above seven rules. Tips for campaign staff:
1) Monitor the social media and political messaging and make sure it is resonating. Call upon seasoned professionals and get a handle on how they see the race. It is imperative to talk to others outside your organization.
2) Review the playbook and make the adjustments. If you aren’t improvising, you aren’t doing your job.
3) Keep the candidate calm, but motivated. Now more than ever, you need to coach the tired candidate that the next 14 days will make or break their career.
4) Talk to the candidate’s family members and closest friends. You can gather information on your assets and need to fully appreciate the health and stability of your all-consuming candidate.
5) Make sure that you redouble the effort to stand up falling lawn signs and plan to spend a few sleepless nights putting up more signs. I know that most people agree that signs are a waste of money, but I’m old school and know that more signs show more life to a campaign.
6) Go see the top volunteers and keep the momentum and energy high.
7) The all-important GOTV plan will make or break you. Time to chase the outstanding vote and increase the odds daily of a positive outcome.
8) The late Bobby Franks, who was as good at running campaigns as it gets, had two pre-election mantras:
A) check and reconfirm
B) Trust A-holes to your detriment
These are a few things that have allowed me to operate in winning campaigns, and I hope you take some of the above to help you find your way to the winner’s circle.
Now exhale and GO KILL IT!
P.S.: After my standing-on-a-table speech, one volunteer outshone all the others. He got his team together and went to work. Doing the work of ten people, mind you. However, some rest was required. Across the street from our campaign headquarters was a tanning salon. He and his team would go in there, rent out tanning beds for 45 mins (they didn’t look like the “Tanning Mom” from Nutley if you’re wondering), and catch up on sleep. That is a level of commitment
I’ve never seen before or since. Ralph Velardi, hats off to you.
