Top 10 lessons learned about Women Running for Office
by Francine Busby
1. Always say your name.
“My name is Francine Busby and I'm running for Congress.” Always say your name and what you are running for at the outset of your remarks and again at the end. If people in the room don't know your name, you may as well not have been there. This is a common rooky mistake. I made it and so does everyone else.
2. Appearance Counts.
First impressions are very important and often lasting. People judge women instantly by their appearance. A negative impression is hard to overcome. So if you want people to take you seriously, you need to take yourself seriously first. Get a make-over and create your image before you go public. You don't want to wince at an unflattering image of yourself in a newspaper or on TV. And remember, that image will be used again and last forever.
3. Have realistic expectations.
Individual motivation for running for office varies greatly, but it is important to understand the realities of a campaign and have a realistic assessment of your race. It takes time and money to build a campaign and there is rarely enough of either.
4. Know why you are running, who you are running against and how you plan to get your voters to the polls for you. Persistence Counts.
If at first you don't succeed, you are in good company. Often by the time you finally get your campaign up and firing on all cylinders, it's election day! Now that you are really ready to roll, consider running again if you didn't win. Remember that Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Judy Chu, me... and many others have run and lost, but persisted. People recognized and appreciate persistence. Once you've built your base, increased your name recognition and honed your skills you are ready to start from a stronger position.
5. Campaigns are all about relationships.
A campaign is about building relationships with your supporters, volunteers, donors and ultimately with the voters. Your biggest supporters most likely will not be members of your family or close friends. Your supports will be those who share your passion and vision in the campaign. The one relationship that is not helpful for a woman is a highly visible spouse. It's great to say that you are married, but the presence of a spouse can diminish a woman as an independent, strong candidate.
6. Campaigns take on a life of their own.
It's important to build a trusted team and then trust them to do their jobs. If a candidate is micromanaging a campaign, she is not doing her job of raising money, meeting constituents and getting the message out. As campaigns reach their boiling point, the unexpected happens, tempers flare, emotions explode and the sense of urgency grows to a fevered pitch. Hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride.
7. Media Matters.
Everything you do and say can and will be used against you. Be prepared. Know your talking points. Pivot from questions to the points that you want to make. In this day of You Tube, whatever you say and do will last forever. Be careful. Look good and take advantage of the earned media as much as you can to get exposure for your campaign. Just being on TV makes you “real” to voters. They may not remember a thing that you said or was said against you, but they will remember that you were on TV and take you seriously.
8. Name recognition. Name recognition. Name recognition.
Voters vote for names that they recognize. There is a sense of comfort and legitimacy if they know a name, regardless of the merit of the candidate. Seventy percent of voters, vote on name recognition. This is one of the advantages of incumbency. It's also why an actor name Schwarzenegger, with no previous political experience, became the governor of California.
9. It all comes down to numbers.
Elections are about money and votes. You need to raise money to run your campaign; get your message out and get your voters to the polls. If you refuse to raise money, you probably shouldn't run for office. In the end, the person with the most votes wins. It all boils down to knowing how many votes your need to win; identifying your voters and making sure that you get them to the polls.
10. You need a hard head, not a thick skin.
As a candidate you need to be sensitive and responsive to your supporters, volunteers and the voters, so you can't wear a suit of armor. However, you need to be prepared for the nasty negativity that is part of the campaign process. You have to know that it is coming and know that you can't stop it. You need a “thick skull” so that you don't let it into your mind or let it get to you. You don't have control of what “they” say and do, but you do have control of yourself. Hold your head high. Know who you are and why you are running. Remember that while you are taking the slings and arrows, a lot of people are standing behind you holding you up. And...enjoy this incredibly challenging, exhausting and exhilarating experience!
Francine Busby: Running for Congress in the 50th Congressional District-San Diego
1. Always say your name.
“My name is Francine Busby and I'm running for Congress.” Always say your name and what you are running for at the outset of your remarks and again at the end. If people in the room don't know your name, you may as well not have been there. This is a common rooky mistake. I made it and so does everyone else.
2. Appearance Counts.
First impressions are very important and often lasting. People judge women instantly by their appearance. A negative impression is hard to overcome. So if you want people to take you seriously, you need to take yourself seriously first. Get a make-over and create your image before you go public. You don't want to wince at an unflattering image of yourself in a newspaper or on TV. And remember, that image will be used again and last forever.
3. Have realistic expectations.
Individual motivation for running for office varies greatly, but it is important to understand the realities of a campaign and have a realistic assessment of your race. It takes time and money to build a campaign and there is rarely enough of either.
4. Know why you are running, who you are running against and how you plan to get your voters to the polls for you. Persistence Counts.
If at first you don't succeed, you are in good company. Often by the time you finally get your campaign up and firing on all cylinders, it's election day! Now that you are really ready to roll, consider running again if you didn't win. Remember that Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, Judy Chu, me... and many others have run and lost, but persisted. People recognized and appreciate persistence. Once you've built your base, increased your name recognition and honed your skills you are ready to start from a stronger position.
5. Campaigns are all about relationships.
A campaign is about building relationships with your supporters, volunteers, donors and ultimately with the voters. Your biggest supporters most likely will not be members of your family or close friends. Your supports will be those who share your passion and vision in the campaign. The one relationship that is not helpful for a woman is a highly visible spouse. It's great to say that you are married, but the presence of a spouse can diminish a woman as an independent, strong candidate.
6. Campaigns take on a life of their own.
It's important to build a trusted team and then trust them to do their jobs. If a candidate is micromanaging a campaign, she is not doing her job of raising money, meeting constituents and getting the message out. As campaigns reach their boiling point, the unexpected happens, tempers flare, emotions explode and the sense of urgency grows to a fevered pitch. Hang on for dear life and enjoy the ride.
7. Media Matters.
Everything you do and say can and will be used against you. Be prepared. Know your talking points. Pivot from questions to the points that you want to make. In this day of You Tube, whatever you say and do will last forever. Be careful. Look good and take advantage of the earned media as much as you can to get exposure for your campaign. Just being on TV makes you “real” to voters. They may not remember a thing that you said or was said against you, but they will remember that you were on TV and take you seriously.
8. Name recognition. Name recognition. Name recognition.
Voters vote for names that they recognize. There is a sense of comfort and legitimacy if they know a name, regardless of the merit of the candidate. Seventy percent of voters, vote on name recognition. This is one of the advantages of incumbency. It's also why an actor name Schwarzenegger, with no previous political experience, became the governor of California.
9. It all comes down to numbers.
Elections are about money and votes. You need to raise money to run your campaign; get your message out and get your voters to the polls. If you refuse to raise money, you probably shouldn't run for office. In the end, the person with the most votes wins. It all boils down to knowing how many votes your need to win; identifying your voters and making sure that you get them to the polls.
10. You need a hard head, not a thick skin.
As a candidate you need to be sensitive and responsive to your supporters, volunteers and the voters, so you can't wear a suit of armor. However, you need to be prepared for the nasty negativity that is part of the campaign process. You have to know that it is coming and know that you can't stop it. You need a “thick skull” so that you don't let it into your mind or let it get to you. You don't have control of what “they” say and do, but you do have control of yourself. Hold your head high. Know who you are and why you are running. Remember that while you are taking the slings and arrows, a lot of people are standing behind you holding you up. And...enjoy this incredibly challenging, exhausting and exhilarating experience!
Francine Busby: Running for Congress in the 50th Congressional District-San Diego
