Political campaigns are used to moving at 100mph, hurling forward toward the goal of winning on Election Day. However, what do you do when you’re in a competitive primary, win, and wake up the next day? It is easy to feel as if your 100mph momentum suddenly hit the wall and is stalling to get moving again. All of this brings me to our question of the week: I asked our team, “So, you’ve won your primary, now what?” and here is what they had to say.
Andrew Boucher, Partner:
“Reach out to your primary opponent. Put yourself in their shoes, and be magnanimous and understanding. Immediately get to work mending fences and unifying the party because you will need every single one of your opponent’s endorsers and supporters.
“If you’re in a competitive general election, use your victory night speech to define the general election by drawing a clear contrast with your opponent.”
Mike Biundo, Partner:
“Authenticity matters, but in tough general elections, if you are not speaking to undecided voters on the issues they care about in a way that they will listen to, you will lose.”
Derek Dufresne, Partner:
“If you have a competitive general election, immediately work to position yourself to show financial and strategic strength to ensure the calvary will come in to help you win.
“If you are in a seat where you are sure to win the general election, begin building out your official team, help other candidates in competitive races, and start to navigate what type of an elected official you plan to be by working toward getting on committees you hope to be on.”
Kory Wood, Partner:
“Strike while the iron is hot. Get on the phone and raise money.”
Mark Warner, Director of Client Success:
“Connect with the other team’s supporters, county and state party leaders, and ensure you get everyone on board if it was a highly contested primary. It’s important to heal relationships and achieve victory in November.”
Wes Farno, Senior Consultant:
“Focusing on a wider audience comes soon. Now you gotta raise the summer money.”
Have questions? Let’s talk; we can help you win in November. Email info@ascent-strategic.com to set something up.
More Primary Wins
Congratulations to our clients on their recent primary wins. We look forward to seeing what November will bring.
