Running for political office is not something that should be entered into lightly. Win or lose, it will alter the trajectory of your life. Before making the decision to run, you should think through the following questions.
Can you invest the time needed to win?
Running for office in a competitive race is akin to taking on a part-time if not a full-time job. You will need to devote hours EACH week to fundraising, voter outreach, and community outreach. It will involve making sacrifices on your part to effectively campaign, and the tougher the district the greater the demand.
Can you afford to hold the position?
Many local and state offices provide little to no salary for holding office but do require lots of time on the official’s part. As an example, Kansas State House members receive a salary of $88 per day (only while in session), plus a per diem. At the same time, members are essentially required to be in Topeka full-time for 3+ months of the year and available for special sessions.
Most school board and small town municipal positions are unpaid and require several hours a month minimum, often in the evenings.
Do you have the support of your immediate family?
If you do not have the support of your significant other, you should not run. Political campaigns are incredibly stressful and have been known to end relationships. A campaign will most likely take time out of your personal life, it’s important that your immediate family members know and understand this, especially if they are part of your support system you’ll fall on during stressful times.
Do you have the support of your friends?
Winning elected office takes an army of volunteers. There isn’t a single magic group that is going to do all of the work on your campaign. Money does not fall from the sky and people will not flock to your campaign to talk to voters for you.
You will need to recruit people to help you every step of the way, and the most likely people to help are those that personally know you. Additionally, if there are reasons you’re friends wouldn’t support you running, are those feelings that would be held widely by voters?
Why should someone vote for you over your opponent?
If you do run for office this will form the basis of your campaign. If you’re going to win you need a strong answer to this question that resonates well with voters. It needs to be positive, a vote for me is a vote for.. instead of trashing your opponent.
Running for office isn’t for everyone, but almost all first-time candidates are nervous about running for office and at some point, everyone elected to office was a first-time candidate. Your background and the time to run are never going to be perfect, don’t let that stop you. Before taking the plunge, make sure you’ve thought it through.