North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee joined me for a chat about why he wants to be the next Governor of Nevada and what our current Governor has done wrong, where he believes Nevada should be headed in the next ten years, and where it MIGHT be headed if Sisolak remains in office, and MORE!
VoteJohnLee.com
HeidiHarris.com
Had a great chat with Gerard Ramalho, GOP candidate for Nevada Secretary of State. Here’s his bio from his website, gerardfornevada.com
“Many Nevadans will recognize Gerard Ramalho as a long-time News Anchor and Reporter in Las Vegas. With 30-years on-air experience working across the country he has earned numerous awards for excellence in journalism, including 7 regional Emmy Awards. Gerard was twice voted “Best Anchor” by the Las Vegas Review Journal and is featured on Nevada’s list of Distinguished Men and Women. He is also a member of the Nevada Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame.
As a journalist Gerard asked the tough questions and reported the facts objectively and with integrity. Now he wants to apply those characteristics in office to strengthen our state for all its citizens. Restoring confidence in the election process, growing business opportunity and improving licensing efficiency will be primary objectives.
Gerard’s father is a WWII U.S. Navy Veteran. His mother grew up in Mexico City and later became a naturalized U.S. Citizen. Together they taught him the value of faith, family and freedom. Those principles will continue to guide him as he serves Nevada.
Gerard is involved with numerous non-profit organizations where he has served as Media Liaison, Board Member, Spokesperson, and most recently Director of Strategic Partnerships with The Just One Project. In his free time, he enjoys hiking Nevada’s many trails and visiting our state’s historic spots.”
HeidiHarris.com
Drew Johnson joined me to talk about his race for Clark County Commission District F. It’s an all Democratic Commission, and to say those currently on the Commission don’t care about constituents would be an understatement. Drew and I talked about his past work with think tanks, and what he feels needs to be done better in Southern Nevada.
HeidiHarris.com
DrewforNevada.com
(Interviews do not equal endorsements. I don’t endorse candidates.)
I am often amazed at the people who run for elective office with no real plan, other than the dream of being the next “whoever”. God bless ya, the water’s warm, and miracles do happen, but you’re wasting your time unless you consider these things:
1. Choose the right race.
Which races will you realistically have a shot at? Don’t let your ego get ahead of your brain. Ask others you trust. It could even be the right race, but the wrong year. Who’s in that seat already?
Is the officeholder beatable, or termed out? You may think you’re smarter and better qualified, (you probably are), but they have the advantage of incumbency.
Do other candidates who might jump in have better name recognition, and are they better funded? There’s only so much money to go around, and especially in the case of big donors, you should have an idea of where those dollars have already been allocated, and how much is still up for grabs.
2. Know your stuff. WHAT does the office require? What expertise do YOU bring?
“I want the title” is not enough, and voters figure it out pretty quickly. What can you do to improve things? Can you clearly explain where the current office holder has been derelict in his or her duties? Or where your input could assist the other members of the elective body to improve? Once again, KNOW your stuff.
In addition, you’d better have a thorough grasp of what the office you’re seeking is responsible for, and more importantly, what that office can’t do. Please don’t make false promises about doing something that is not within that office’s power. Voters aren’t (entirely) stupid. I say “entirely” because….well, look at some of the people we’ve elected. Enough said.
3. Find a good campaign manager. Get some GOOD advice.
Interview several campaign managers. Do your research on them. You may know them already, but have they actually won any races? If not, why not? Talk to their former candidates. Get their version of events. Discerning what the campaign manager may have done wrong, or what the campaign manager says the candidate did wrong, will help you decide. Maybe the failed candidate expected too much from the campaign manager? Perhaps the candidate didn’t hold up their end of the bargain? You need to know.
Anyone can run for office, and someone will be happy to take money to run your campaign. This may come as a shock, but some people will feed your ego and convince you that you actually have a chance at a race (when they know you don’t) because they want a paycheck from you for a few months, and they don’t have anyone else in the hopper.
Some campaign managers will waste your money on things like needless printing, either because they get kickbacks or don’t know any other approaches. Being more creative might be the better play. You have to be careful, especially in a small race, where money is tight.
There’s so much info available online about running a successful campaign that there’s really no excuse. It’s like buying a house. You might hire a realtor, but in the end you really need to do your own research. Read up on how various people have failed politically, and try to avoid making those same mistakes. Get good objective advice from people who don’t have skin in the game.
4. Shore up your party credentials.
Unless you’re running in an (ostensibly) “non-partisan” race, you need to be part of a political party. If you’ve never been to a GOP or Democrat event, and no one has seen your face, good luck. The folks in the trenches know the posers from the serious people, who stay actively involved, whether they’re running or not. They realize you’re just passing through to get elected, suddenly claiming to have conservative or liberal beliefs. Those folks are not easily fooled.
5. Your public profile is not enough to get you elected.
I’ve known several people who gave up TV or radio careers to run for office, with mixed results. A Republican radio broadcaster recently did that to run against Trump! Whatever, dude. The fact that you’re well-known in one realm isn’t enough to get you elected to anything, unless you’re Donald Trump.
If you’re a network TV personality, you’re probably not allowed to attend political events, either GOP or Democrat, so no one knows you in those groups. You can’t expect to waltz in and have a crown put on your head because you’ve been on radio or TV for years. If you’ve been on TV, never taking hard positions and doing fluff interviews, people might not take you seriously.
There’s another downside to being a public person: If you’ve been hosting an opinion radio show, the Radio Miranda Rule applies. “Everything you’ve ever said can and WILL be held against you” by the opposition research folks. Be prepared.
6. Create a decent website strictly for your campaign.
Don’t even launch your campaign until that is up and running. If I hear about you and check out your site and it sucks or doesn’t exist, I don’t go back. Neither will donors or constituents.
7. Clean up your social media.
If you’ve been dumb enough to say something online that may come back to bite you, (who hasn’t) clean up your accounts BEFORE you even talk about running. Believe it or not, there are services you can use who will do that for you. A good campaign manager will know this.
8. Think of anything and everything that could be used against you, and be ready to address it.
Have you had a nasty divorce? A DUI or other arrest? Lawsuits? Do you have a bad reputation in the professional realm? This will come back to bite you, although some people somehow survive it. (I’m thinking of Nevada’s AG). Opposition research people live for those tidbits. Even if a shady past doesn’t bother you, (which is actually an asset when you’re running for office), you need to be honest with your campaign manager up front, and have a plan to address anything that comes up. Or don’t enter the race.
A Presidential candidate a few years back had been paying another woman’s RENT. Did he not think that would come up? Of course the op research people knew it, and sat on it, until the right time.
9. Yes, people can and will LIE about you – get ready.
Sadly, many voters assume that anything said about you by your opponent in a campaign ad or flyer must be true. Unfortunately, people can say things in campaign literature and in ads that I could never say on the radio, lest I be sued. Innuendo and half truths are the rule of the day. It has always been a part of politics, and it’s not going away. Put aside some of your money to defend yourself from last minute hit pieces. Be ready to address any allegation.
10. Radio interviews won’t get you elected.
Oh, how I sometimes wish that were true. Lots of people think getting five minutes on my show (or anyone’s show) will get them elected. Nope. First of all, if it’s a small race like Nevada Assembly or Senate, chances are small that the audience is full of people who can actually vote for you. You simply have to do the legwork. Even if you’re running for Congress, the same rule applies. You need to focus your attention on your district.
11. Be polite to the media.
You need us far more than we need YOU. But IF you are asked to do media with a legitimate source, your answer is “YES, I can make it”. If you’re too busy when someone asks you to do an interview, especially if YOU have asked to be on, (yes, I’ve had this happen), don’t say, “I’m not available that day”. Once you start running, you need to be able to be flexible so you CAN do the things that might help your campaign.
And I’m sorry to tell you this, but radio hosts aren’t legally obligated to have you on. I once had a guy threaten to sue the station because we wouldn’t have him on my show. That’s the way to charm the media!
12. You’d better have a plan to raise money.
Raising money is the worst part of campaigning, at least if you’re a decent person. You need to have some of your own, and be wiling to schmooze people with money. Impressing your friends at some backyard barbecue with your great ideas won’t translate into enough support to get you elected. Remember that Karaoke bars are full of people cheering their tone-deaf friends on…
Running for office is hard work, but we need good people in elective office, or our nation will suffer more than it already has. Don’t give up if you want to make a difference, but get your ducks in a row!
Heidi Harris
2-19-20
I’m no campaign expert, but in 20 years of talk radio I’ve learned a few things about running for elective office. Here are my tips, and you can take them for what they’re worth:
If you’re going to run for elective office, ask yourself WHY, and have a good answer. People will expect one. “Because I want the business card” doesn’t cut it. If you’re only seeking a title or glory (which most are), you won’t last long.
Decide WHICH which office you want to run for and which specific issues or problems you can realistically address or solve if elected. Don’t campaign for School Board or Senate and talk about things you have no power to control legislatively.
Talk to some political experts before you decide to run. Gauge your name recognition, the political climate, who your opponents are likely to be, who will be supporting them and not you, and again, how strong the incumbent is.
Talk to MORE than one or two people. And if all of them advise against it for one reason or another, even if you think their assessment of your brilliance or the incumbent’s incompetence is unfair, you might decide not to move ahead. You can’t buck everyone in the system and win. Even Donald Trump didn’t do it that way.
Oh, and here’s some breaking news: Consultants, printers, and PR people will sometimes lie to you and encourage you to run because they stand to make money off your (doomed) effort. At the end of the day, YOU will have lost the race. Voters won’t remember anyone else’s names. Be realistic about your chances.
Pick the right TIME time to run and the right office to run for. You may really want to be a Senator, Congressman, etc., but there are times it just doesn’t make sense to run, because the seat is held by an incumbent you may loathe but who has a tight reign on it. This may just not be your year. You might have an easier chance with another office or an open seat.
Be sure you know the facts about the office you seek, what the job actually entails, and the issues voters care about most. The fact that you can enthrall your friends with your amazing ideas at your backyard party doesn’t mean others will be as impressed. Remember, the people who like you often won’t tell you the truth. They’ll applaud anything you do.
(I get asked every year to run for office – what does THAT tell you?)
If you don’t have any money or any way to raise it, you’re doomed. You simply are. Politics shouldn’t be about money, but getting your message out costs money, and so does refuting your opponent’s claims about you. That’s just a fact. If people don’t believe in you enough to support you, walk for you, or give you money, that speaks volumes to voters.
If you have no campaign manager, no name recognition and no momentum, don’t call MY show or any other talk show for an interview and hope that a few minutes on air will make up for your lack of diligence, money, or preparation. We don’t have that much power. (We wish we did sometimes)
NO, the fact that you’re well known in one field does NOT mean you’re popular or will be taken seriously by those in political circles. You have to earn their respect before you earn that of the voters, and that takes time. No one is going to put a crown on your head because you’re been on TV or a stage for years. (Unless you’re Donald Trump)
Running for office is hard work, but we need good people or our nation will suffer. Don’t give up if you want to make a difference, but get your ducks in a row! Take running for office as seriously as you’d take the job, and you just might have a chance!
Heidi Harris