Candidate Recruitment
Five most common reasons to run for office
I want to serve in public office.
There are things around this community that need to be changed.
I can do better in office than the person who is likely to be elected if I don't run.
I believe in the things the Republican Party stands for.
My community has been good to me and I want to give something back.
If you don't pick any of these reasons, you may not want to run for office. But if you selected one or more, then you should think further about running.
Candidates' Biggest Concerns
Three out of four first-time candidates express one of these two big concerns:
Time away from work. What will that do to my finances?
Time away from home. What will that do to my family?
If you are worried about either of these factors, you are right to be. Running for office takes a great deal of time. So does serving in office after you are elected.
We suggest you approach these concerns systematically.
Learn all you can about how much time it will take. Talk with one or two Republicans who hold the office you are considering. Try to talk with at least one whose family situation is similar to yours and who has the same professional background you have. Ask them how they do it.
Talk with your business associates. Your boss, your partners, your clients, your employees - you need to look at the race from the viewpoint of everyone who depends on you in business. As a practical matter, many of these people might have strong objection to your running, so you lose nothing by asking them what they think.
Talk with your family. Fewer than one in ten successful candidates run in the face of active opposition from their husband or wife. Ideally, the spouse should be the campaign's biggest booster. Talk with members of your family about how you will deal with the time commitment of running and serving. Discuss how your children will be affected. Have your spouse talk with the spouse of an officeholder with a similar family situation. Now is also the time to select the family occasions, vacations, and special days that you'll keep as a peaceful part of your life, even in the midst of a campaign.
After taking the time to talk things over, you need to summarize how your business associates and family feel about this campaign. Are they glad you are doing it? Are they willing to go along? Or are they really opposed?
Have you run into a roadblock here? If you have, contact the Republican leaders and tell them you can't do it. But if you have the business and family support you need, please continue.