How To Run For Office

00:00 Podcast Introduction 02:47 Micah Cavanaugh’s background and how he came to work in politics as a job 16:02 Lessons learned from vetting candidates 23:16 How to deal with, “God wants me to run” 27:54 Setting expectations for a candidate’s activity level on the campaign 31:24 You’ve GOT to ask for money! 38:28 Personnel = Policy 47:42 What advice do you wish you had 10 years ago? 51:30 As Chief of Staff, what excites you about looking forward to the next legislative session? 55:03 Where to find Micah Cavanaugh online 55:34 Conclusion and Outro

00:00 Podcast Introduction 02:13 Does Block Walking / Canvassing Work? 03:04 Canvassing: Just Do It! 04:17 No, You don’t need a PERFECT script… 08:13 How to write an awesome Canvassing Briefing Document 12:04 Tips for effective communication with canvassing teams 14:28 Don’t get caught in an unending conversation with a voter 18:56 How to use Custom Sticky Notes when Canvassing (More at 31:10) 20:44 Tips for following up after canvassing 22:44 Picking the right Canvassing Software (Hint: Campaign Sidekick) 24:40 What are the best times to canvass voters? 26:22 Does it matter if I leave a palm card behind when canvassing and someone is not home? 27:44 Focus on the conversation, not the script. 28:52 Should I canvass homes with No Soliciting Signs? 31:34 What software should I use to analyze my canvassing data? 32:30 Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! 33:32 Will bringing Children or Dogs out canvassing with me be helpful? 34:15 Should I deploy canvassers by themselves or in groups? 35:57 How to upsell voters into attending events, placing a yard sign or donating 38:56 Can City Ordinances stop me from canvassing? 41:37 Wrapup and outro

Through 6 years, 6 elections and 3 legislative sessions, Jonathan Stickland has learned a lot and earned his status as one of Texas’ most conservative legislators. Today he’s here to share that knowledge with us! What You’ll Learn from Tom Jonathan Stickland In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction and Rep. Jonathan Stickland Bio 02:23 How Jonathan Stickland got interested in Politics 07:17 Why Jonathan ran for office 12:19 How to keep your office from defining WHO you are 21:56 How to identify areas where compromise is possible vs where you should stand firm. 26:55 Talk us through your first campaign, what you did and major lessons you learned? 44:50 How did you handle attacks based on things you said or did early in your life that you regret? 52:00 Last words of advice from Jonathan Stickland and where to find him online

Cybersecurity has been regularly in the news over the past year but few campaigns are aware of how vulnerable they are to hacking or what to do to avoid it. Morgan Wright is here to fix that! What You’ll Learn from Morgan Wright In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction & Morgan Wright Bio 02:50 Morgan’s background and how he became involved in Cybersecurity 12:15 How to avoid being hacked like John Podesta 18:55 Common cybersecurity problems for campaigns 23:40 What are easy steps to avoid phishing attempts 27:00 Tips for rock-solid password security 42:50 Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be time-consuming 44:05 Cybersecurity isn’t a partisan problem. EVERYBODY is at risk. 50:10 Final cybersecurity war stories 59:33 How to connect with Morgan Wright

00:00 Podcast Introduction and Tom Lucero Bio 01:36 Tom’s Background and how he got involved in politics 12:42 If you want to win, you gotta do the work! 15:22 Starting “Our Values” and involving Veterans in Politics 21:06 What My Campaign Coach is doing to help Veterans run for office 32:04 What are the top things candidates need to focus on when launching a campaign? 37:17 “Knock on One. More. Door.” 42:36 Initial Systems and Process for Candidates to Create 45:58 The power of creating small goals 49:38 Why Candidates need to knock doors THEMSELVES 53:54 Final pieces of advice from Tom Lucero 57:10 Where can listeners go to find out more about Our Values and the work you and Oz Geist are doing? 58:30 Podcast closing and outro

He ran the mile like no one ever had and ran for office like every man should. Jim Ryun, 3-time Olympian, spent 10 years in Congress and was well known as both a good man and fantastic candidate. What You’ll Learn from Jim Ryun In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction & Rep. Jim Ryun Introduction 01:40 How Jim Ryun got started in sports and then politics 07:22 Deciding to run for Congress 11:46 If you do EVERYTHING, you’ll win! 19:20 Fundraising like an Olympian 23:10 The importance of knowing your core values and principles 25:52 Standing up to Leadership 31:34 What does it take to be a good candidate? 35:04 Communicate well: be a “Wordsmith” 36:36 Conclusion and Podcast Outro

00:00 Apology/Update 01:52 Erick Erickson’s background and political beginnings 08:57 Talking about Erick’s new book, “Before I Wake” 14:53 What is The Resurgent and Why did you start it? 20:00 Campaign advice, Trump’s Impact and More 47:05 How do you prepare for being attacked as a candidate? 53:10 Should I air my skeletons in my own time or wait for opponents to bring them up? 56:40 How should candidates exhibit their faith on the campaign trail? 1:00:50 Where can people find you online?

*Corrected audio file* Crafting a strong campaign survey is critical to any campaign, however you’re trying to touch voters. Lee Vasche opens up his voluminous bank of experience today to help your campaign! This week we’re talking with Lee Vasche, founder of Triton Polling and Research. They’re a full-service survey, polling and market research firm with offices across the western United States. From non-profits to Fortune 500 companies to statewide political campaigns, Triton has done at least a bit of everything. Lee has an eclectic mix of talents ranging from statistical analysis and advanced telecom systems to political organizing and database administration. Outside of the office, Lee spends his time traveling with his bride Courtney, skiing, scuba diving and enjoying the outdoors. We’re going to cover a lot of ground in the interview today but the main areas we’re going to focus are ballot access and grassroots organizing. If you’re going to win, you gotta get on the ballot and a lot of candidates get that access through gathering petition signatures. Doing it the wrong way leads to headaches but Lee knows how to do it well. On the grassroots side, we’re going to crack open Lee’s knowledge bank and get some of his top tips for organizing your ground efforts, maximizing efficiency and hitting your goals. Important Topics and Time Stamps from the Podcast: 00:00 Podcast Introduction 01:51 How Lee Vasche got involved in political campaigns 07:05 What is a “Survey” and how should you use polling in your campaign? 20:12 How to get on the ballot: Keys to ballot access 33:40 Where can candidates find out the rules about ballot access? 35:33 What are the keys for campaigns to build a strong grassroots operation?

00:00 Podcast Introduction and Dan Webb Bio 01:58 How Dan Webb got hooked on politics 06:30 What kinds of candidates do you help and why? 14:18 All Politics is moral 15:28 What are the first steps you take when building a new campaign? 29:16 How do you increase a campaign's efficiency? 31:39 How do you build a good campaign team? 38:06 How does Military History and Strategy inform your campaign battle plan? 45:14 What are the essential steps to closing a campaign strong? 54:40 How do you help campaigns through Haven Strategies? 56:22 Where can listeners find you online? 57:08 Key takeaways from the podcast and closing it out

00:00 Podcast Introduction and Wes Goodman Bio 01:29 How Rep. Wes Goodman got hooked on politics 05:11 What got you interested in working in politics full-time? 10:00 Lessons Wes learned while working on Capitol Hill 21:52 How did you impact politics and policy at the Conservative Action Project? 24:38 Why did you decide to run for office? 28:25 What went into your campaign preparation? 32:07 What questions did you ask yourself before launching your campaign? 34:42 How did you organize your campaign? 45:57 Rep. Goodman’s awesome strategy for securing absentee ballot support 48:15 How to navigate a multi-candidate race 1:00:18 Lessons in Hindsight: Importance of an After Action Review + Conversations while Canvassing 1:05:10 Where to find Rep. Goodman online 1:06:38 Conclusion and Outro

00:00 Podcast Introduction 02:21 How Corbin Casteel got hooked on politics 09:13 Why Coaching is different than Consulting or Training 10:43 Role of a General Consultant + Why a Candidate needs to know who they are 22:17 Rules for hiring a General Consultant...or working as one! 36:25 What does a General Consultant Do? 42:37 What are the top attributes to look for in a Campaign Manager? 46:19 What are you doing now with 413 Communications? 49:18 Last words of Wisdom from Corbin Casteel: “Know Who You Are.” 49:54 Conclusion and Podcast Outro

00:00 Podcast and Jason Wright introduction 02:22 Jason Wright’s Background 10:20 Understanding a City Council’s influence 16:16 Winning Local Office: Where to start? 43:18 Challenges of managing a campaign at the local level 48:02 Why running for City Council is so important 1:04:58 Jason’s favorite part of being a City Councilman 1:08:00 Final thoughts from Jason Wright  

Vaclav Platenik is an experienced European political strategist. He shares international tips & strategies that work in the US as well as Czech Republic! What You’ll Learn from Vaclav Platenik In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction 01:45 How Vaclav Platenik became involved in politics 05:35 What do Grassroots International Campaigns look like in the Czech Republic? 16:12 Tell us about what motivated you to start the Women’s Campaign School and where you focus instruction? 22:43 Major campaign lessons for international campaigns, from the US to the Czech Republic 25:12 Campaign Finance rules in the Czech Republic 29:14 Rules for crafting a winning message strategy 33:05 Vaclav’s observations and insights about American campaigns 37:57 Podcast closing and outro

CNN's Alice Stewart has worked on 5 Presidential Campaigns and many lower on the ballot. She shares her advice for how your campaign can win the media war! What You’ll Learn from Alice Stewart In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction and Alice Stewart Bio 01:56 How Alice Stewart got started in politics 07:46 What’s the right mindset for candidates as they start trying to engage the media? 10:42 How should candidates set out to build productive relationships with the media? 14:26 Using media Rules of Engagement to benefit your campaign 18:00 Leveraging local media to increase your campaign’s visibility 25:29 What does it mean to be On/Off the record or On Background? How do you use those? 34:32 How do you strategically plan your media message? 38:34 What’s the right way to handle Crisis Communications? 52:20 Thank-you’s, Requests and Alice Stewart’s final words of wisdom

Shoshana Weissmann is a Twitter Senator, Social Media Rockstar and lover of all 3-toed sloths. She has so many great insights to share with us! What You’ll Learn from Shoshana Weissmann In This Episode: 00:00 Podcast Introduction 01:20 Shoshanna Weissmann Bio 02:17 How Shoshanna got involved in Politics 07:12 Showing your Personality on Social Media 10:35 How to identify your brand on social media 16:28 What to avoid as a politician on Social Media 21:20 Focus on your LOCAL voters 23:52 How do we message complex policy to a public with small attention spans? 40:46 Marketing Conservative Ideals in Urban Areas 54:00 Building your “issue base” now, as a candidate 1:01:12 Ethics in Politics 1:15:50 Questions from Twitter 1:21:31 Where to find additional campaign content and Podcast conclusion