Top 3 mistakes when running against an incumbent
So you’re running against an incumbent — good! Massachusetts has the lowest rate of challenging incumbents of any State House in the country. And with the incentives in the House leading state reps quickly to bow to the Speaker, we need more challengers! So thank you for running.
We want to give you some pointers from people who ran against incumbents in the past. Here are some mistakes you might be making.
Voter IDs don’t count if you don’t mention the incumbent.
Phone banking? Canvassing door to door? Any good campaign is getting voter IDs: 1 means the voter is definitely supporting you, 5 means they are definitely supporting the incumbent. But many challengers try to get IDs without mentioning the incumbent. Any IDs you get without mentioning the incumbent should be thrown in the trash.
Voters often can’t name their state rep off the top of their heads. They may not know the difference between a state rep and a state senator. But the question, “would you vote for me if no one else were running,” gets a totally different answer than the question, “would you vote for me against X other person?” A voter might not realize you’re running against a person they like — or maybe that they don’t like!
If you want a voter ID, have your volunteers start the conversation with, “hi, my name is X and I’m volunteering for [candidate’s name] for state rep. S/he is running against [incumbent’s name] because [short reason why].”The reason why you’re running must include the incumbent.
Please read our blog post, “Why are you running for office?” When you’re running against an incumbent, you not only have to have a compelling reason why the voter/district needs you, but you also have to have a reason why you are better than the incumbent. This must be part of your essential pitch.
Your campaign doesn’t just have to convince voters to vote for you — your most difficult job is to convince voters not to vote for the incumbent. You need a strong, clear message as to why, and it has to be succinct and convincing. As noted above, not only should you have a “why am I running” story that makes that case, but you should have a simple half-sentence to plug into phone banks and canvasses. “I’m running against X because our districts deserves someone who will fight for our climate.”Your message about the incumbent has to match voters’ perceptions of the incumbent.
You might think the incumbent is terrible. Or you might think they’re nice but voters could do better. Your message has to match what the voters already think & feel about the incumbent. For many challengers, it might be tempting to exaggerate the bad sides of the incumbent. He kicks puppies! (If he does indeed kick puppies.) But voters will be more amenable to your message if your view of the incumbent matches theirs.
Now, I know some of you are out there thinking, how do I make a case for why people should vote for me without mentioning that the other guy kicks puppies? How do I not go negative?
That is an excellent question. Let me give an example of how to have powerful conversations at the doors.
“Hi, I’m X and I’m running for state rep against incumbent Y because our district deserves someone who will fight for working families. Have you had the opportunity to interact with the State House or your state rep?”
Let the voter answer — this will tell you quickly whether they are already on the side of the incumbent, and how involved they are in state politics.
“That’s great. Well, did you know that Massachusetts falls behind many other states in our support for unions and workers? The incumbent has a consistent track record of voting against rights to unionize and against wage theft laws that protect workers. This district is mostly working families, and we deserve someone who will fight for our rights against powerful corporations and special interests.”
If you’re looking for a formula:
I’m X running for state rep against incumbent Y (you must use their name) because [pithy statement about policy Z].
Have you had the opportunity to interact with the State House or your state rep?
Did you know that Massachusetts fails at policy Z? The incumbent has voted consistently against policy Z. Our district deserves someone who will fight for policy Z — that’s why I’m running.
At some point in the conversation, don’t forget to ID them! Can I count on your vote on September 6th?
Alright, now go out there and convince some voters!
