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BigGator5 (R FL-05) 2010!

By: BigGator5 (Diary)  |  October 31st, 2009 at 04:04 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Ok, not really. I want to go through a thought experiment in which I, BigGator5, was to run for Florida’s 5th Congressional District. Since I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, we’ll say Ginny Brown-Waite has chosen to retire and return to private life at the end of her current term. I want to make it clear that she is not and I fully support her re-election in 2010.

I’m an averge joe guy who has had it up to his nose of all the doctors and lawyers taxing his paycheck and not having a say.

I am currently 29-years-old (will be 30 next year) and have been a citizen of Florida all my life. So under Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution, I certainly qualify to hold office. The Fourteenth Amendment does not apply to me since I have not held any form of public office, state of federal. I’m an unemployed and barely a penny to my name. Like most people I normally go to work and then go home, so I am barely known outside my street. I want to run as a Fiscal Conservative as a Republican.

For this thought experiment, I want to hire people for some roles. Some of you may be called for down the road, so keep an eye out for my entires. Rivals will be called out for debates only:

My Campaign Manager (handles all day-to-day campaign functions, top advisor):
My Press Secretary (handles media, ads, and website):
Republican Rival #1 (Moderate, but not Liberal, Republican):
Republican Rival #2 (better well known Social Conservative candidate):
Democrat Rival (Blue Dog for general election):

Ok, so this is the questions for part one of this experiment. I have decided I wanted to run for United States House of Representatives. Now what? What do I need? How am I going to get in the Republican Primary (remember, this is Florida)? What kind of website am I going to create (will make a mock campaign site later down the road)?

Remember, this a thought experiment where we ask questions, do research and come up with answers. Most times, there will be no wrong answers. Anyone want to take part in some roles, sign-up here.

BigGator5.net

PS: Happy Halloween Everyone!

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  • bcb1

    Not that I’m an expert or anything – but everyone I’ve know that’s been successful politically has started at a local level and gone from there. Even if they don’t hold an office at the local level like being on the school board or town council or mayor, they are well-known at a local level – maybe a business owner, a very successful real estate broker, doctor, bank president…something like that. Or, their parents or grandparents were well known locally, and therefore they have the family name recognition. They might not be worth a damn personally, but if their grandfather was sheriff for fifty years, then that buys them a bunch of name recognition right there.

    The fact that no one knows you “beyond your block” would be a huge issue. The fact that you have no money would be another major problem. It takes a decent amt of money to buy even the modest amount of signs, newspaper, and radio ads that it takes for a little local campaign.

    I don’t know if there is a shortcut or not. It seems to me like you’d want to start putting yourself in the position of knowing as many people as you can. Join the local Chamber and civic groups, volunteer, and get your name out there. I’d test the water by running in a local race first.

    You don’t run a marathon before you run a 5K, and if you run for state house of rep without knowing anyone or having any money, that’s pretty much what you’d be doing.

  • http://biggator5.net/archive.html BigGator5

    While I may disagree with much of this guy’s politics, he makes a great case on why you should run for office (found the article while doing a Google search for “How to run for Congress”) even if you are not going to win. If you want to run for local office first, all the more power to you. Yet if you meet the qualifications in Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution and you want to spend your time on such a venture, then you should do it. However this is a thought experiment to see what Joe Shmoe would have to do in order to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. This has no barring in real life.

    Yet I do agree with you in getting name recognition is a very important first step in running for any public office. So let’s look at how we can do that:

    Florida is one of those states in which political parties are organized by counties and not by US Congressional Districts. It makes it a little more tricky if I wanted to make my intentions known, I would have to go to each Republican county meeting and speak to each group. The 5th Congressional District includes all of Citrus County, Hernando County, and Sumter County, most of Lake County (where I live), Levy County, and Pasco County, and portions of Marion County and Polk County. So not only would I start getting involved in the local community, I would also have to 8 local Republican meetings (and maybe the RPOF meeting) and tell them I am willing to throw my hat into the race.

    Volunteering is also a good way to get noticed. Good call bcb1.

    Joining your local Tea Party or 912 Movement wouldn’t be a bad idea, seeing as what happen in NY-23 and Doug Hoffman.

    Anyone else has any ideas?