february 2012 democratic reporter - bay area new democrats

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BAND Newsletter, Volume 5 - Issue No. 1 - February 2012

................................................IN THIS ISSUECandidate advice 1-6Congressional candidate photos 2Holiday party photos 3-6

DEMOCRATIC REPORTERA Newsletter for Bay Area New Democrats

BAND Activists Offer Words to the Wise As a new slate of Democrats comes seeking our votes before the 2012 Democratic primaries, several experienced BAND members have some words of wisdom for the candidates. Beforecandidatesfileforoffice,theyshoulddo some planning. BAND vice president Bob Tomlinson said candidates should ask themselves if they are serious candidates. “Am I in it to win or do I just want to see my name on the ballot?” he said. Tomlinson advised against “running so that there will be name recognition to further one’s career.” BAND president C.J. Farley sees a “huge red flag”whenacandidatewithnopriorcampaignorpoliticalexperiencerunsforaCongressionaloffice.“I am predisposed to think they do not know much about the process, which does not bode well for having serious campaign traction,” he said. “There are occasional happy endings, but those are in the minority,” according to Farley. A candidate running so that a particular party is represented on the ballot isfinewithhim,aslongasthecandidateishonestsothat volunteers can focus on winnable races. Farley suggested potential candidates should “read a book, or three,” such as The Campaign Manager: Running and Winning Local Elections, by Catherine Shaw; How to Run for Local Office: A Complete, Step-By-Step Guide that Will Take You Through the Entire Process of Running and Winning a Local Election, by Robert J. Thomas; and The Political Campaign Desk Reference: A Guide for Campaign Managers and Candidates Running for Elected Office, by Michael McNamara. All are available on amazon.com. “Saying you don’t have time means you weren’t serious when

wisdom for candidates, continued on page 2

BAND members Mark Weesner, C.J. Farley and Suzy Allison attended Houston Mayor Annise Parker’s second inauguration at the Hobby Center downtown in January.

you decided to run,” Farley said. Attending candidate workshops and learning about the district or area of representation are also crucial to candidate preparation, Farley said. Doug Peterson, a former BAND president who continues to be an active Democrat, recommended that candidates talk to people outside their typical associates and do a listening tour to learn what issues voters in the district care about. “Find some people who disagree with you politically and do some dry runs on how to discuss issues and positions without it

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Democratic Reporter - February 2012

............................................BAND Board of DirectorsPresident C.J. FarleyVice President Bob TomlinsonTreasurer Mohammed NasrullahSecretary Tonita FranklinDirector Don RhorerDirector openDirector Ila Montalvo RoelDirector, newsletter editor Vicki M. Cherewaty

wisdom for candidates, continued from page 1


turning into a slugfest,” Peterson said. John Cobarruvias, also a former BAND president and longtime Democratic activist, advised, “A candidate should reach out to clubs in the area andaskiftheywouldsupportarunforoffice.Insome cases this is called an exploratory committee, but most simply reach out to other Democrats and those with experience. They should be prepared for negative recommendations especially in a district like the Clear Lake area.” A serious candidate needs to have thought about how many votes it will take to win in the primary and later, in the general election, how much money is needed to meet those objectives. Farley said the candidate must take into account the area’s historical voting record – how many voters show up, how do they typically vote, who has been elected historically.“Defineanexpectedwinnumberforvotes; saying 50 percent plus one doesn’t cut it,” he said. “Know it and have a campaign plan to get there. A real campaign plan,” Farley said. Longtime Democratic activist and BAND member Suzy Allison said, “If you don’t have clear objectives for each phase of the campaign, you aren’t likelytodoyourstaffing,PRandplanningrightanyway. When you’ve thought your way through this,thenyou’rereadytostartansweringthespecificquestions.” Concentrating on campaign activities that actually further your cause is key. While some candidates think blogging helps achieve name recognition, Tomlinson disagrees. “The candidate must spend several hours of each day raising money. Don’t get into a race thinking the money will come naturally

Three Congressional candidates spoke at the January BAND meeting. Running for the Democratic nomination in the newly redrawn District 22, which now includes only part of the Clear Lake neighborhoods, are Douglas Blatt (top) and K.P. George (in the middle, with his children). At bottom is Max Martin, running in the newly created District 36, which includes much of the Clear Lake area.


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said. He advised including tabs on the website for: a biography, issues, endorsements, donations, comments and scheduled events. Peterson said a candidate should also get help with media relations to send out news releases about significanteventsofthecampaignandcreateabuzz.“And of course, get your son or daughter to develop some simple social media sites,” he said, cautioning that those sites should be used carefully, lest they create a negative impression that can’t be erased. “It’s not possible to have a winning campaign these days without a presence on Facebook and probably Twitter,” said Peterson. When seeking the Democratic nomination for anoffice,Tomlinsonstressedtheimportanceofhavinga union printer for all campaign materials. “Don’t start off by handing out literature that does not have the union bug,” he said. “Some people will not vote for a person, in a Democratic primary, who does not have union-made literature. There are also those who will not volunteer for a candidate who does not use a

Political advertising is paid for by Bay Area New Democrats.

as time progresses,” he said. Cobarruvias also cited the importance of fundraisinginacampaign.“Runningforofficeisaveryseriousundertakingthatwillrequireasignificantamount of your time and money as well as time from your volunteers. Don’t expect the time and money to fall into your campaign just because you have a ‘D’ behind your name. If you do not have a plan to win, a plan to raise money and a plan to man your campaign office,thenconsidersupportinganothercandidateand not running, “ he said. “Money and volunteers are the lifeblood of campaigns,” Farley added. Only a self-funded or unopposed candidate can afford to be nonchalant about money. “Otherwise, one of the candidate’s primary functions is to raise funds for the race. There is no substitute for the candidate asking people for money for the campaign,” said Farley. While blogging may not be helpful to a campaign, not everything on the computer is a waste of time. A website set up shortly after a candidate’s announcement is essential for reaching those who don’t make it to campaign events. “Having a website also makes it easier to raise money,” Tomlinson

Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia entertained the crowd at the BAND holiday party with a joke about Gov. Rick Perry’s “oops” moments in the Republican presidential debates.

BAND board members Don Rhorer and Bob Tomlinson greeted Bay Area Turning Point development director Maria Longnecker, who accepted BAND’s donation to the charity at the club’s annual holiday party in December. BATP runs a shelter for battered women and children and assists victims of domestic violence.



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union printer,” Tomlinson said. Peterson said a candidate should not attend meetings as an announced candidate without professional-looking push cards with a “bio-story” and a high-quality photo of the candidate and a family member or volunteers. “These items are major evidence of whether you’re a serious candidate or not. No low-res or stretched photos, no extreme policy positions and please, no typos or poor grammar,” he said. In the early stages, the novice candidate should be asking, “Who is my base?” said Allison. The base can be partisan, ethnic, ideological or anything else. “Your base is just the people with a tie to you strong enough so if a voter has that tie and knows you’re running, he’s going to want to vote for you.” Once thebaseisidentified,thecandidateshouldworktoenergize that base, according to Allison, “since it will be the source of most of your volunteers, positive word-of-mouth, and a lot of your money.” The candidate should also look at the opponent’s base. “You need to estimate their strength, geography and any ways to discourage them that don’t take much money, people or time from your main objectives. But you subtract them from your universe,” Allison said. A serious candidate should identify uncommitted registered voters in the district and utilize “money and base volunteers and paid staff” to do so, Allison said. By Election Day, the candidate should strive to turn out the base as well as the formerly uncommitted, newly persuaded voters, said Allison. Before the Democratic primaries, making a good impression when meeting with fellow Democrats is paramount. Do some research on the membership and their likely issues of interest. “Really, this is not unlike a job interview where you can impress by showing your understanding of favored issues. Be friendly and professional in approach and attire,” Peterson said. Just like in a job interview, clothing should be slightly at a level above



BAND held the holiday party at La Brisa Mexican Grill in League City for the third year in a row. Enjoying some holiday cheer were: Flo Cohen, Linda Tomlinson, Linda King and Jo Miller (top); Vickie and Keith Sargent (middle); and Louise Peck and Kay Pfister. (bottom photo).

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Louisa Hodges and Fran Rankin caught up at the BAND holiday party in December.

affects large numbers of constituents, the candidate should do some homework before making campaign appearances. For example, in a district where many residents are employed at NASA and its contractors, it behooves the candidate to know more about theissuethantheofficeholderheorshehopestoreplace.Fondmemories of the moon landing or space shuttle launches will fall on deaf ears if that is all the candidate has to offer. “You should have no more than three or four major issues, developed during your initial listening, that will become the signature of your campaign. Your goal should be that when voters hear your name, they think immediately about why you’re their candidate,” Peterson said. Farley pointed out that the candidate should be knowledgeable about geographical issues across the area to be represented. “What’s important in the east may not be in the west,” he said. “Not only must you have a command of the issues, you must be able to motivate your volunteers to spend their time and money on your campaign,” Cobarruvias said. “Unfortunately campaigns are expensive. A race for state representative may cost up to $500,000 and one for Congress will be in the millions.” Because of this, Cobarruvias noted, “Volunteers will be looking to spend their time on a well thought-out campaign, one that has a chance of winning or one with excitement and purpose.” Conventional wisdom holds that, during the campaign, volunteers work for the candidate, and after the election, the candidate works for the volunteers. “Know that potential

what the group wears and should never be sloppy or unkempt, he said. A traditional question asked often at BAND meetings is, “Are you a Democrat?” Don’t wait to be asked. Tell fellow party members how long you have been a Democrat, and if you aren’t really one of us, own up to it. Joining BAND is always a plus. Candidates often tell voters where they are from and, while this is helpful information, there are more important matters to cover in a limited time. Tomlinson suggested giving voters a short biography but then “the main part of the talk should be devoted to the issues. In other words, what are the things that really drive this person to win? Where is the passion?” Tomlinson said. If a candidate is running in a district where one particular issue


Area 5 Democrats Don Hill, Becky Rogers, Paula Fyffe and Tommy Ginn celebrated with BAND at the holiday party in December.

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wisdom for candidates, continued from page 5 listeners if he or she has clerked in appellate court or been involved in trial appeals. Constable candidates should let the voters know how their background qualifiesthemforthejobthatconstablesdo. Peterson advised, “Understand your audience. Don’t talk like a professional candidate or consultant; most regular people aren’t going to be turned on by your campaign achievements or fundraising results. Your audience is wondering what you can do for them. You have to ask them for their help and the second someone offers to help, have something for them to do. Once they take a step, whether block walking or making a phone call, they’re invested in you and will probably do more.” A serious candidate needs to seek as many endorsements as possible. In the past, BAND traditionally has not made endorsements because of their potential to divide the club membership. However, other clubs, unions, newspapers, civic organizations and individuals do. Tomlinson advised candidates to meet political bloggers and be accessible to them and to reporters. “Absolutely make appointments to meet with reporters and editors of local newspapers,” Peterson said. “They want to know you, judge you and yet also can provide you a lot of insights into the community.” Dependingonthetypeofofficesought,a candidate may be required to have a full-time campaign manager. “Not having that person signals that the campaign is not serious. That means you need to have funds to pay for the position,” Farley said. It’s also a good idea to answer queries from organizations such as the League of Women Voters. Those publications may be the only source of candidate information for voters who are not active politically.“Towinyou’regoingtohavetofigureouthow to persuade independent voters that you’re a good, smart, likeable person,” Peterson said. If they don’t meet you in person, they will want to learn about you somehow. Finally, Tomlinson said, “Be willing to hear and seeunflatteringthingsaboutoneself.Ifone’sfeelingsare easily hurt, don’t get into the political arena.”

volunteers are interviewing you to see if their time is going to be well spent. If you have no money, no plan and no path forward, do not expect volunteers to hang around,” Farley said. Another important component of an introductory speech that candidates often omit are theiractualqualificationsforthejob!Ifyou’rerunningfor judge, your listeners might like to know what kind of law you practice and whether you have worked in litigation. A candidate for appellate judge should tell

Parvin and Jim Richardson, along with Sue and Stan Blackmer, joined in the celebration at the BAND holiday party at La Brisa Mexican Grill in December.

february 2012 democratic reporter - bay area new democrats

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