Building Support: Tanya Simons

Don’t fall prey to the misconception that only career politicians can make a difference in their country and in their community. Many times, the changes that are most directly impactful are those that originate from passionate individuals with a love for their community right in our own backyards. 

Tanya Simons had developed an interest in politics after a childhood and young adulthood spent debating policy with her brothers. As an adult, she was already invested in her community through the volunteering, coaching, and mentorship positions she held before she had two children. So when an opportunity to run for her local school board arose, she saw the position as a way to further serve the children and the families in her area. 

“It felt like the right time to jump in and make a difference,” she said.

While planning her campaign, Simons attended two of American Majority’s trainings, one on Campaign Fundraising and another on forming a campaign.

“I found the really practical advice and guidance was really helpful. It was a very methodical approach and it helped me understand the vast scope of what’s required to run for office.”

The fundraising course gave her the knowledge and the confidence to build a strong, cohesive network and ask for funds to support her candidacy. It takes courage to ask for money from those in your network, but as School Board Member Tanya Simons says, “you can’t just sit on the sidelines…You actually have to get involved to make a difference.”

As she ran for office, she met a number of other local and state non-partisan candidates running for different levels of office.  She was able to partner with them to promote their campaigns together.

Simons recollects how they, “helped me by sharing sign locations with me, ideas on where to best spend my time door knocking, and important considerations for using my time at key events.”

 If she wasn’t doing her own door knocking, she was out every weekend helping on local and state candidates’ campaigns.  

“For me, I was so encouraged by those who believed in me, I wanted to pay it forward for those whose campaigns I truly believed in…As I saw firsthand how challenging it was to get help, I felt it was really important to help others in their races too.”

This was one of her favorite parts of campaigning. She learned from others through opportunities to meet, “people who were working day in and day out with a passion to serve and improve their communities. It was a tremendous growth experience that taught me so much about public service, but even more about who I am, why I desired to serve, and the values that I hold.”

Simons also had the help of her family and friends, including her daughter who was out with her every weekend door knocking and lit dropping. 

“She and my neighbor girls were in nearly every parade with me too.  She was my side-kick and best campaign helper throughout the summer and fall.”

To Simons, the most important thing as a candidate is to define yourself. She says, “It’s a full time job – running for office” and you need to devote your time to knowing who you are as a candidate and making sure that your voters do too.

“We can all have a list of where we stand on different issues but when people are voting for a candidate, they’re voting for who they believe you are…They’re not going to be as concerned with what your statement is on an issue as they are their trust with who you are.”

At the end of the day, we all want to feel inspired by the people we vote for and elect to serve our communities. 

“They want to feel like the person they’re voting for is going to make a difference,” Simons said.

 

For trainings like the one Tanya Simons received, Click Here.

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