The easiest way for a good candidate with good ideas to lose an election is by failing to raise money.
Honesty, this happens far more than I’d like to admit.
These well-meaning candidates rely on word-of-mouth or so called grassroots campaigning to win, but they don’t. They get wiped out.
Please don’t let this happen to you!
There’s a stigma in our culture that having money to campaign for office is a bad or unethical thing.
The irony is that those shouting about the evils of money are often well-entrenched incumbents or powerful special interest groups who raise and spend tons of money in the political process.
For instance, Elizabeth Warren has so far raised over $16 million during the 2021-2022 election cycle.
Is Senator Warren and others who rail against money in politics being hypocritical? Yes. But they’re also being smart.
They’ve crafted a narrative that is aimed at intimidating their opponents from raising enough money to be competitive.
Unfortunately too many good people fall for this clever deception when they decide to run for office.
This tricks many candidates into limiting their fundraising or avoiding such activities altogether.
This mistake then results in poorly funded campaigns that fail to communicate with the voters and an Election Day loss.
Don’t fall into this trap!
The three important M’s of a winning campaign are message, money, and minutes. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
The road to hell is always paved with good intentions. However the path to victory is always built by hard work and extreme focus.
Set a budget for your campaign then go out and raise the funds to meet your budgetary needs.
And don’t feel sleazy about asking for money. You’re not asking people to give you money for your own personal needs.
At least you better not be or you’ll have bigger problems on your hands.
You’re asking for the money to fund your campaign. Your campaign is about making a positive contribution to the quality of life in your community.
That’s why you’re out there raising money. You’re doing it for your community and its future.
But you’ll never be able to put your plan into action if you don’t win the election first.
If you’re serious about winning, then you need to be serious about raising money.
Remember why you’re doing it. It’s the same reason you decided to seek office in the first place.
Never let politicians or interest groups intimidate you out of raising the money you need to compete and to win.
They don’t want you in office. If they did they would not only be contributing to your campaign, they’d be helping you raise money too.
Ignore their noise and their nonsense. Go to work and do what you need to do to win your race.
When you are sworn into office, many of them will be there to congratulate you. Some of them will even offer you money to help “retire your debt.”
If you need additional advice on fundraising, you should also read these two articles: Fundraising Advice from a Winning Candidate and 7 Essentials of a Winning Campaign Fundraising Letter.