Alan Doane, Montana State Rep: “It’s not just a shot in the dark”

“I think it’s important for any candidate to realize that this isn’t just a shot in the dark. You can have a systematic approach to your campaign and target effective areas – channeling resources and energy – to win.”

As the fifth generation to live in his county in Eastern Montana, Alan Doane is a full-blooded Montanan and has spent his life working in production agriculture and construction. However, he didn’t see himself serving his community as a politician until 2009. “All through 2009 I would read the news in the mornings and be outraged. ‘When is someone going to do something about this?’”

Doane stepped up to the challenge. “I couldn’t find anybody that represented my values,” he said. He ran with the intent to stay true to the Constitution and preserve individual liberty. Although he finished second in a three-way primary for Republican state representative in 2010, with momentum built from his campaign and lessons learned, Doane went on to run again in 2012. “[I] learned a lot from mistakes in the first campaign. Ran as hard as we could [in 2012] and came out on top by 15 percent.”

Learning how to micro-target was a key to Doane’s victory. He learned to determine how many voters to target and identify who they are and how to reach them when he attended an American Majority training. “Math and science actually work,” Doane says. “[I] thought campaigning was a shot in the dark and a popularity contest.”

His recommendation to conservatives considering a run for office? “Do it,” he says. “Electing one good candidate doesn’t get it done. This is a team effort. We need the majority. We need the American Majority.”

Doane holds on to the quote: “A vision without action is merely wishful thinking.” He challenges conservatives to act: “We can all wish that we had elected people that did whatever, but we have to make it happen. If we want more freedom-loving candidates to be elected, then we have to put some action out there to make that happen.”

Update: Alan Doane won a second term in the Montana House of Representatives on November 4, 2014.