Should You Run? Part 1
Saturday
Apr 25, 2009
Before you decide to become a candidate, you need to look at yourself with a critical eye. Many good people are not good candidates for a variety of reasons. Over the next few posts, I’m going to cover some items you need to consider before you take the steps to become a candidate.
Is there anything in your life that will sabotage your campaign?
Right now, I want you to think of the worst thing you ever did in your life. Imagine seeing the story of that particular misadventure on the front page of the local newspaper or leading the local newscast or even posted to a web page for all the world to see. Then, imagine having your spouse, parents, children and friends read the story.
If there is something you can’t bear the thought of having everyone know about, you probably shouldn’t run. The odds are that your opponents will dig up your past history. And, you may find that old acquaintances and old public records will tell them the story you don’t want told.
You should also consider things in your past that you may not consider that bad, but which could be slanted by the opposition to make you look dishonorable or irresponsible. Most of these things won’t disqualify you from running, but you will need to evaluate whether or not they will have an impact on your business or career. For example, your business might have settled an age discrimination or sexual harassment complaint because it was less expensive than fighting the charges. Your campaign opponent will cast this in the most negative light possible which could damage your business.
Drunk driving arrests, bankruptcies and other things in your past history can hurt your chances of getting elected. A few factors that influence the impact these things have on your campaign are:
- How many years have passed since the incident happened and how old you were when it happened.
- How forgiving your district is of the particular type of incident. A poor district might not look down on a bankruptcy as much as a wealthier district would. A conservative district might be less forgiving of a marijuana arrest than a more liberal district would be.
- How squeaky clean your opponent is. If he has had similar problems, he will have a lot more difficulty scoring political points by attacking you.
