Rethinking Episode 2.0 - An overview of the special nonpartisan series on running for public office

Episode 2 December 08, 2020 00:16:30
Rethinking Episode 2.0 - An overview of the special nonpartisan series on running for public office
Rethinking with Alex Torpey
Rethinking Episode 2.0 - An overview of the special nonpartisan series on running for public office

Dec 08 2020 | 00:16:30

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Show Notes

In Episode 2.0 I give a brief overview of the special series “Nonpartisan Overview on Running for Public Office” (viewable below in full on YouTube), and talk about one of the most common myths about elected office – that politics must be a career and longevity is the only way to have power or influence.

You can check out the quick summary episode above, or the full series below (All videos are at the end) and let me know what you think. More will be added to this series in the future, both interviews from people who have run for office, and other ways to get involved and make an impact other than running for office. Stay tuned!

This is a special edition series from Rethinking. Based on the demand and interest right now from people who want to learn more about getting involved and becoming more influential, or a decision maker, in government, I decided to create this free, nonpartisan, totally open overview. This may be valuable for those who are thinking about running for office, but need a place to start or don’t have access to these sorts of resources already. This series provides an overview in the following areas:

  1. Should you run for office?
  2. How to start your campaign from scratch
  3. Running your campaign
  4. GOTV and Election Day
  5. Win or lose – now what?

Each section provides an overview of helpful information. It is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it meant to be definitive – there are many ways to approach this, and there is lot more detail you can go into. Do you wish I went into more detail in any area? Let me know on social media or by email!

Thanks to my friend and colleague Aaron Straus Garcia for contributing his expertise and perspective to so much of this series, as well as Brandon McKoy for giving us his expertise and reminiscing on the early days of the Alex Torpey for South Orange Village President campaign.

1. Should you run for office?

There are many ways to get more engaged civically or have a greater impact on our public institutions or our communities around us. Running for office is but one way to do that, though it is an often overlooked platform. Many believe they aren’t the “right” type of person to do so (Pro tip: most of the people who currently run for office are actually not the right type – it’s them not you) or are intimidated by those in power, or the process of running for office. Here we break down some of the different things you may want to think about when considering to run. They include:

2. Starting your campaign from scratch

Starting your first campaign, especially if you are running without major party support, is going to be a lot like starting a company – general craziness, limited funds, but an undeniably exciting sense that you and your team are working towards something truly purposeful. Before you actually have an official campaign and are off to the races, here are some things you may want to ensure you are familiar with:

3. Managing Your Campaign

Now we’re getting to some of the core of the content here – how to actually run your campaign. Remember, this is just an overview, each of these topics may require additional research or learning to be able to really do right. We cover the following topics:

4. GOTV and Election Day

Everything has been building towards your election day goals. In this section, we talk about gearing up for election day and how to make sure you get the votes you should.

5. Win or lose – now what?

Elections are strange things in that you put in so many months (and years of work) and often even on election day you still don’t actually know what you’ll be doing the next day, or the next few years of your life. Prepare yourself to think through any of the potential outcomes.

First, spinning down the campaign, team, finances, legal requirements. Then either:

All episodes in this series:

Bonus interviews:

Daniel Zolnikov – Former Montana State Legislator (R-MT)

Kylie Oversen, Former North Dakota State Legislator and State Party Chair (D-ND)

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