Two Smart Guys on How To Campaign in Virginia

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Two of the more interesting assessments of Republican campaigns in Virginia I've read come from Patrick Ruffini (who admits he's more of a national politics guy)...

Instead of applying blunt force on the immigration issue in a diverse community, you zero in on the illegal immigration-related quality of life concerns that 90% of the electorate can identify with, like the scourge of MS-13 gang violence in the region. Were I running in Northern Virginia, I wouldn’t mention the words “illegal immigration.” I would talk exclusively about MS-13, and about working with ICE to deport every violent criminal in the area illegally. This is the fatal mistake that ex-prosecutor Jerry Kilgore made in 2005 — and the GOP candidates this time around didn’t do much better.
Likewise, running a 1988-style campaign on “taxes” is too vague and diffuse. Zero in on the real source of taxpayer ire: rising property tax assessments. And tie it to competence. The housing boom was a veritable revenue bonanza for local governments, with double digit revenue growth year on year. At the state level, Mark Warner raised taxes. And even with state and local governments drowning in revenue, they still can’t build roads, they still can’t educate kids, they still can’t get things done. And now Tim Kaine and the Democrats want even more. Tim Kaine and the Democrats. Incompetent. Unaccountable. Arrogant.

and Justin Hart, who worked in a delegate race in Loudon County:

No meticulous local GOTV. The local campaign managers had a targeted list of GOP activists and supporters but basically "hoped" they would come out to vote. There were plenty of poll boosters giving out sample ballots and literature but there were no poll watchers to call back the people who had and had not voted. (Note: the Dems didn't do this either... but it was there for the taking).
Robo calls for GOTV are ineffective. Basically, Richmond set up a massive auto-call to remind people to vote on Monday. No call on Tuesday and no one called in person.
Mailers crafted in Richmond will not work. While 2nd Amendment issues were prominent in one race in Fairfax, they had no bearing on the race out here. The RPV sent out 2 big glossies touting NRA endorsements and gun rights... a non issue for the new suburbanites in Loudoun.
Lack of coordination across local candidates on the GOP side. Small entrenched factions for supervisor and other offices worked together ignoring other new GOP candidates trying to take a stand.
No busing of support for the GOP. The Dems got the local unions to ship a gambit of people into town and literally lather the town in Dem candidate signage. Of course, signage isn't everything, but its one more thing we didn't do.

I have to admit, if I were a candidate, and Ruffini told me that I'd have a better chance of winning by hopping on one foot, my first reaction would be, "Which foot?"

11/08 04:57 PM Share