5 Ways Campaigns Blow It Late in the Game

Get lazy and forget GOTV  

GOTV (getting out the vote) is the bread and butter of campaigns late in the game. You’ve refined your message, won the debates, and have been to more party dinners, parades, and events than you can remember. But that doesn’t mean the campaign is anywhere near done.

Complacent campaigns often try to cruise to the finish line riding on their initial success. But savvy campaigns pull into high gear during this time. Increasing voter turnout in elections is all about getting your supporters to show up and vote on election day.

That means pounding the pavement and knocking on as many doors as possible between now and election day. Face-to-face interaction with voters is the best way to get people to the polls. Campaign’s actions from now to election day can drive voters to the booth that might have otherwise stayed at home. Every vote counts, even if you think they don’t!

Going door-to-door is crucial; especially in smaller elections where one or two votes makes all the difference.  Be the advocate for conservative principles that your community needs. Spend your time between now and election day doing more than just voting. To learn how to create better voter turnout, check out American Majority’s online course on getting out the vote.

Lash out in desperation

When the election is coming down to the wire, risky tactics you decided against months ago suddenly become more appealing. But launching attacks on your opponent late in the game comes across as desperation, and is unlikely to inspire voter confidence. Not to mention, you decided against those risky strategies earlier for a reason.

Desperation isn’t a good look on anyone. Like authenticity, voters can smell desperation it from a mile away. And they will run if it’s too obvious. That’s the last thing you want to happen right before election day. So, be aware of how your words and actions could reflect poorly on your campaign, and be careful taking risky actions when the pressure is high.

Count on polls too much

Don’t get cocky with the polling and data. The pollsters can be wrong. Case and point:

Polling is more of an art than a science. There’s even less data available for smaller campaigns. You never know what the numbers really are until the actual vote tally. And the numbers then can tell an entirely different story. So don’t rely on fantastic (or terrible) polling numbers, however great they may make you feel.

Survey methods count for something here, too. Different ways of wording polling questions, who is being surveyed, and the number of people being polled all play into the accuracy of the data you’re looking at. Don’t be fooled: no survey is perfect. And ultimately, the only survey that truly matters happens at the ballot box.

No matter what the polls tell you, keep doing the fundamentals right or you’ll be left wondering how it all went wrong on election night.  

Lose your drive

Politics thrives on passion. If you’ve lost passion about what you stand for, or why you are running, people are going to sense that and start to jump ship. After months and months of phone calls, envelope stuffing, and door knocking, it’s easy to lose your edge. If you start to lose your passion for the campaign, folks will start to jump ship. Endorsers will get lukewarm, and ultimately, your campaign will stall–or worse.

Have a plan to keep your allies engaged, and believing in your mission. Encourage your volunteers and staff. Show appreciation for their valuable contributions to your efforts. Find what aspect of campaigning energizes you, and take some time to rejuvenate yourself. It’s easy to get discouraged, but don’t let that happen! Go back to the basics and keep yourself focused on why you started running for office in the first place–it’ll help get you back on track.

Prepare for the post-election reckoning

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. You think you know the election outcome before the votes have been counted, but nothing is certain.

The nature of politics can lead to allies turning on each other when things look dark. They start to blame each other for mistakes made during the campaign–even before the final outcome. Preemptive infighting is dangerous. It doesn’t help you understand what went wrong, and it distracts from the fact that the fat lady hasn’t sung yet! If the polls aren’t closed, there’s still time to get to work and win more votes. And, if by chance you do win the election, you’ll look pretty silly for preparing for the loss.

Conversely, don’t start measuring for the drapes in your new office before you win! Unlikely upsets, like Eric Cantor’s loss in 2014 show the consequences of running a complacent campaign. It’s been said that if you’re coasting, it means you’re going downhill. Keep pedalling like somebody is breathing down your neck, ready to take away what seems like a surefire win.

They’ll be plenty of time to prepare for the win or deal a loss after the voting is done: don’t distract yourself from winning first.

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