adminSo, now that you decided to run for office, what’s next? While there are numerous crucial steps to take, let’s talk about one: Determining your Winning Number.
What’s your Winning Number? The number of votes you need to win an election.
To do this, I suggest analyzing the last 3 elections for the position you’re running for (past voter turnout numbers, past campaign expenses, previous donors/contributors, and demographics).
First, gather past voter turnout numbers. Are there any trends or major differences in voter turnout totals? You will definitely see major differences among primary, presidential, and non-presidential elections.
To obtain your necessary Winning Number, there are several determining factors, but I usually recommend taking the average or highest (whichever is greater) amount of voter turnout for the last 3 elections; then, your Winning Number will be 51% of that amount. Personally, I recommend my candidates work to obtain a minimum on 56% of that amount.
Depending on the type of campaign you’re running, you should break these analytical results down by county, district, or precinct. The purpose of this is to spend the most time in the areas with the most possible voters and most likely supporters. This will also help you get the most for your time and campaign dollars, especially if you’re block-walking or mailing out postcards.
I once had a candidate tell me that, without any research, he just picked a random street and went door to door. He ended up spending a large amount of valuable time talking to people that either weren’t registered to vote or had never even voted.
Strategize and prepare to run an effective campaign.