Whether you are aiming for city council, Congress, or even President of the United States, one of the first questions that any candidate is asked is, “Why are you running for office?”
It’s not an easy question.
Believe it or not, many political candidates can’t provide a good reason for why they are running for elected office. A large factor in the success of any campaign is messaging. Without being able to articulate a reason for your candidacy, you’ll struggle to gain strong supporters to help your campaign.
After all, if you can’t explain why you are running, then what reason would voters have to elect you?
I am running for office because…
There are many motivations for political candidates, ranging from the benevolent to the selfish. Some people run for office because they may have personal animosity toward the incumbent or their local government at large. They feel the best way to solve the problem is to do the job themselves – and stick it to the opposition at the same time.
Others run because there is a particular issue that they care about. It may be a large or small issue. And if they can tie that passion to a large block of voters, it can help form a base of broad support.
Consider the best answer to ‘Why am I running for office?” What are you passionate about? What do you want to achieve?
- Generic reasons like, “I want to give back to the community” or “I want to make a difference” are bland and will not generate voter interest.
- “I was asked to be a candidate by the party.” This is a terrible explanation and only signals that you are a put-up candidate just to fill an open slot on the ballot.
- “I am making a run for elected office because I want to make a difference in the lives of the people that need help.” That’s better, but it lacks specifics.
Try to tie who you are with what you want to achieve, along with how your efforts will make a positive difference if you win.
For example, “I am running for town board because I’ve lived here all my life. As a homeowner and parent, I want to keep this town a great place to raise a family. I have the experience in finance and community service necessary to be an effective town board member. I will work hard and make sure your voice is heard.”
This statement ties into who you are, what ties you to the community, and why a voter should support you.
Putting together a longer explanation that incorporates your unique experiences can be used to write out your candidate biography. In this, you can go more into depth about yourself, your reasons for seeking office, and the personal perspectives that you bring to the table.
What do you want to do if you win the election?
This is a slightly different question, but it ties in closely with the first. Why you seek office is only part of the story. The consequences of winning an election are the other half.
Voters want to know what’s in it for them. If you have a specific policy or goal you want to achieve once you are elected, you should be prepared to talk about it.
If you can combine your goals and ideas with why you are seeking office, you’ll have a good basis for putting together a quick elevator speech.
Work on your elevator pitch
A candidate’s elevator pitch is longer than a slogan but shorter than a full personal biography. You should prepare a brief statement that articulates your reasons for running. This statement should be concise enough to remember and share on the spot.
You can base your elevator pitch on your candidate bio. Simply strip it down and rewrite it in just a few sentences.
Once you have it created, memorize your pitch and have it ready to repeat when you need it. As you get more comfortable, you’ll be able to tell your story easily and succinctly.
In conclusion
There are bad reasons to run and good reasons to get into politics. Not only have local candidates been tripped up when answering why they want to be elected, but so has at least one presidential candidate.
If you can’t come up with a solid answer of what you hope to accomplish in office, then perhaps you should reconsider running at all.
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Tags: local campaigns, messaging
