Intro to Campaigning

It's been awhile, but I needed some time to jumpstart my brain, and get some ideas. 

In this post, we will focus on running for office based on Camp Wellstone, and equality through campaigning. 

Campaigning: "work in an organized and active way toward a particular goal, typically a political or social one." (Webster's Dictionary) 

Every politician begins their career through campaigning. In the democracy we live in, campaigning is a necessary part of politics and provides benefits for both the general population as well as the candidates. 

Candidates are able to: 

• Meet the people, both in their current area and larger
• Learn what issues the people feel strongly about, oftentimes different then their own 
• Become more well known and drum up support 
• Understand what they are a part of 

The Public is able it: 

• Meet the potential next President, Mayor, Governor, etc... 
• Have a voice in the choosing of candidates
• Share their beliefs and ideas with the government 
• Support the candidates they believe in 

Without campaigning, the disconnect between politicians and the general population would be staggering, and we would miss a lot of the positive interactions between the two. 

The first step of campaigning effectively is developing and then communicating a campaign message, a type of platform that you become known for. This is different than a mere slogan. Slogans are short, and catchy phrases that stick with individuals. Some of the most well known campaign slogans are:

• Donald Trump: "Make America Great Again" 
• Barack Obama (2008): "Change We Can Believe In." 
• Abraham Lincoln: "Honest Ole Abe" 

A campaign message is the backbone of what you believe in. You campaign will ride on what your message is early on, choose something that is effective, memorable and resonates with a wide variety of people. 

Don't shut people out through your campaign message. Inclusivity is key, and no exceptions should be made. This means promoting a message of equality, and inclusive justice, never alienating your voters, no matter what their demographic could be. 

Stay tuned... next post we will look at the tools in crafting a campaign message.