Possible State Rep Run...

[Belsnickel]

(03-12-2018, 08:23 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: Great info !
Agreed, on local issues.
I have connections with a lot of local businesses owners and local government. I also have an ace in the hole in one of the other counties in my district. I'm very good friends with a young man who is making a congressional run there. He'll get my name out there and help me in the surrounding farming community. I also made friends with the Democratic candidate. We have a lot in common and may work together on some things, promoting reaching across the aisle and unity. It's been suggested I do recon by volunteering on the Republican's campaign for a month, before declaring. I'm not sure about that. I'll likely just ask him to lunch to gleen info, before declaration. I have 6 weeks vacation, so I should be good. 

I need opinions on this....
I can get some decent endorsements from people in other state's governments. Do you feel that would help ?  Like - Laura Ebke, Caleb Dyer, Brandon Phinney, Larry Sharpe, etc...
I've also been helping the campaign of a friend of mine running for the Chairman of the Libertarian National Committee.

Don't do the thing with the GOP candidate. That will create animosity within their group and will fuel their efforts against you. It is a surefire way to turn the race more personal. That is the first thing I wanted to get out.

For the big local institutions, we are a university town. Our state house district contains 2 whole universities, a for-profit school, and a satellite campus for the community college. Within the city, ties to the universities is one of the best things for a candidate because of how many voters are employed by, go to school at, or graduated from the institutions. You may not be a college town like this one, but you probably have some similar institution that is a bedrock for the community. Ties like that are priceless in a campaign (so long as the institution isn't corrupt in some way).

As for endorsements, that all depends. You will know how they will play better than I will among the people you are going for. I guess my big question for you is: do you have a statement of purpose for your campaign? Why are you running? Who are the people you are going to court the most? When you look at these things you have to think about who you will be trying to win over the most and then determine how you think those endorsements will play out with them.

To be clear, though, this is me talking politics when I am much more on the policy side. My role in these things is usually helping people craft position statements/white papers and then handing them off to the political folks.