1. How to Win an Election

2. Decide who you are! First a politician needs to align his/herself to a political party. In the U.S. the best chance of winning means choosing either Democrat or Republican. Once aligned they then need to evaluate the platform and choose a plank (single particular issue) and take a strong stance on it.

3. Win the Primary The Primary requires a politican to run against his/her own party for the party nomination. This requires the politician to be far right or left depending on their affiliation in order to win this election.

4. Pick a VP A politician must decide on a VP carefully. This person can make or break an election. They must pick a person who they think can give them an advantage they may not have had already. This could be like picking a person who is loved in a swing state to give them a competitive advantage in that swing state.

5. Campaign and Money Campaign in the states you think you can win! Go to the states that you Should win. Have interest groups and Political Action Committees (PAC’s) fund different aspects of the campaign T.V. Ads Newspaper Ads Radio Ads Billboards Flyers Mailings

6. Move to the Middle Unlike in primaries the general election requires those campaigning to attract the vote of undecided and moderate voters or swing votes. In order to attract these voters the politician cannot lean to far to one side or the other. Politicians must show that they are not too extreme and can be more balanced in order to get these votes! The trick is to not become so moderate that you lose the vote of the extreme.

7. Get them out to vote!!! A politician cannot win the vote if people do vote! Phone calls and TV ads are great ways to remind people to get out and vote in November.

8. Voting Patterns (based on last 4 elections) RED (conservative): Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Alaska Blue (liberal): California, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, New Mexico, Hawaii Purple (swing): Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Nevada, Colorado, North Carolina