Political Research - Praying for Rain on Election Day

Running for business office at any degree necessitates a countless of skills. Resourcing, outsourcing, researching, monetary fund raising, run-blocking, slug dodging, narrative spinning...and, er, maintaining brevity of message. Over the past twenty old age as a political and mass media consultant, there is one desirable accomplishment I have got yet to obtain. I can't command the weather.

Don't worry, my desire is not to out-maneuver the Justice League of United States and tumble human race authorities with some expansive secret plan worthy of the comics.

Research and polling are, of course, portion of any comprehensive attack to election twenty-four hours success. If you have got a little budget, make random polls of 50 people in your district. If you have got the funds, hire a professional house to map the landscape.

We all cognize that this research

1) ascertains your chance of success and

2) secret plans the way to success.

It is of import to recognize that it also can demo you under what statuses success is most likely. How will you experience if it is in your best involvement for most of the electorate to remain home?

Even when you perfectly research and analyze, sometimes a lucky event is needed. Bite the slug and acknowledge you are in it to win; pray for rainfall and allow them remain home.

Even when you have got got done all the research and have all the information at your disposal, you lose the critical connection. Sucking it up and larn a difficult lesson, for not even rainfall may salvage you. I have got a good illustration of this situation.

As mass media adviser for the 2006 Lone-Star State U.S. Senatorial candidate, I did extended research. No premises were made. The campaigner was Barbara Ann Radnofsky – a last name too hard for traditional acknowledgment techniques, like repetition. The political campaign planned an full mass media attack around the name "Barbara Ann." How much more than Texan can you acquire than "Barbara Ann?" Nightlong the pace mark and bumper spine designing changed. Print mass media and streamers at events displayed "Barbara Ann." Most made the premise that the label "Barbara Ann" was the best choice. I did not.

Experienced political advisers are cautious: too many years, too many assumptions, too many burns. In polling, I included inquiries about "Barbara Ann." The most basic inquiry was, "Do you like the name 'Barbara Ann?'" Twenty-one percentage did not. This per centum drop into two age and ethnical groups. The old pace marks were still sitting in storage. We could have got easily distributed them on a geo-demographic basis. We could have got easily customized electronic mails to these groups.

But it was too late. So, make your research. Never waver to run a arrested development of one statistic against another. Always opinion poll on inquiries that challenge your core premises and strategy.

Be ready to pray for rain.