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Learn From The Experts Articles
You Got The Most Votes ... Now What?
By Dotty E. LeMieux
You had a hard fought battle in your four way non-partisan primary race. You know that the top two vote getters will face off in the General election in the fall, unless one of you gets more than 50% of the votes (unlikely in such a large field) or you live in San Francisco, where they have instant run-off voting (IRV).
But you didn’t expect to come in first. You are ecstatic and you deserve to be. The local newspaper leads with your picture above the fold on the front page. The local TV station calls for an interview. All the local organizations want you at their next meeting.
Does this mean you are a “shoo in” for the Fall election? Not by a long shot.
Here are ten simple steps for the run-off candidate to take in going forward to the General election and make the most of your first (or second) place position. This information is very applicable to all Primary winners.
- Take stock of the final vote. The vote on election night may not reflect the final outcome when all the late absentee ballots are counted. Many people drop their absentee ballots off at the polls and the elections officials can’t declare an official winner until that number is known. I have had close elections swing the other way when the final vote is tabulated, sometimes weeks after Election Day.
If your race was close (1% or less), don’t declare victory just yet, but do start in on the next steps.
- Once you are certain of your position, look at where the other candidates are. Look both at their numbers in terms of total votes cast and where they ran strongest and also what issues motivated their voters. Are they closer to your positions on the main issues voters care about or closer to your opponents? You can be top vote getter in the Primary and lose the General if your opponents align with the second place winner more than they do you.
- Call the other candidates and congratulate them on a good race. If you are in a tight race for second place, and depending on where you and third place candidate are, you might commiserate with not knowing the final result.
Once you do know the results however, ask for support. If you can get the support of one or both of the defeated candidates for your race, you are that much closer to victory. If they hesitate to support you outright, see who supported their campaign if those people and organizations will now join with you. Ask for personal meetings. If your positions are similar to the second place vote getter, it is particularly important for you to talk to the other candidates and their supporters first.
- Take a deep breath and a short break and then start thanking your supporters, making sure they are on board for the General, and finding campaign roles for them.
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Start raising money for the General. Start with anyone who gave you a contribution in the Primary. Do you have enough remit envelopes? If not, order them right away and make sure you order enough to get you through any last minute financial crisis.
- Get your trusted advisers together to assess the election results, plan the strategy for the fall, and gear up for the issues that will emerge. These may be the same as in the Primary, but don’t lose sight of anything new on the horizon.
- Start asking for endorsements. If one or more group endorsed an opponent who lost, go to that organization (assuming you are in line with their philosophy) and ask if they will consider supporting you.
Chances are they will, especially if one of their goals is the defeat of your opponent. For instance, if you support an environmental position but your opponent favors more development, the Sierra Club and other conservation organizations that supported one of the defeated candidates will be very happy to have you as their choice in the fall. Especially since you have already asked for and received the endorsement of their first choice.
- Be prepared for a tougher battle. The gloves will be off. Generally, the primary is a kinder, gentler campaign. Not so in the General, if you and your opponent are on opposite sides of such important issues as the environment, taxes, development, transit, or highway expansion. This is not always true. In a recent Supervisor Primary race, a local civic group used their PAC funds to go on an early offensive against the one candidate identified as tied to the development community, while Union interests mounted a positive independent expenditure campaign in support of their candidate, who ended up being the top vote getter in that race.
Money will be flowing from different interest groups. Be sure you marshal enough resources to beat back attacks that are sure to come, and to have your own opposition research ready to go on the offensive if need be.
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Plan on more walking and phoning. Get out early. Just because you walked a precinct in the primary doesn’t mean the voters don’t need to be courted again. Energize your base of volunteers and add to it for the fall. You will need every phone caller, walker, and sign waver you can muster.
- Plan to work every hour through Election Day. It is now more important than ever to get your message to the voters, and then, the voters to the polls. Endorsements, money, mail, electronic media, signs, walking those precincts, making those phone calls, and getting out that vote will be the keys to winning.
Bonus tip: Thank all your volunteers and supporters effusively and often. Once they are invested in you and know that you are working for them, they will keep coming back for more. They are your biggest boosters and best advertisements. Treat them well, thank them often.
Dotty E. LeMieux runs Green Dog Campaigns and Communications,
a full service consulting firm in northern California. She has
been successful in crafting winning messages for “underdog”
grassroots campaigns. LeMieux has been called a “grassroots
maven” by Christine Pelosi, author of Campaign Boot Camp.
She can be reached at Click here to contact this Author
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