A Campaign Manager's Journal
Definition:The journalistic practice of putting a comma after the name of a Conservative elected official followed immediately by an editorial description of that official that places them firmly in a defined Conservative box. This practice is only applied to Republican officials, never to Democrats and is aimed at limiting the appeal of that candidate to … Continue reading The Comma Principle
I'm writing this while looking out the window of our campaign office here in downtown Raleigh. My view is a continual reminder of the task at hand, a proverbial "eye on the prize" vantage of the end goal of all our labors over the last seven years. Last month, I resigned as Chief of … Continue reading Let’s See Where This Goes…
I have advised many campaigns over the years. The number one problem area I see in most campaigns is the improper calculation or the complete failure to calculate out what I call the "magic number". The magic number is the estimated number of votes a campaign needs to obtain to win the race. Sounds simple and … Continue reading Anchoring your Campaign – The Magic Number.
Watch this quick video for a "behind the scenes" look at the Dan Forest for Governor campaign offices. https://youtu.be/ZeRpr0ZkAUo
So now that our campaign has officially kicked off, we are beginning one of my favorite phases of a campaign cycle, which I call the "roll out". Few moments in a campaign bring more joy and affirmation than the roll-out phase, for it is the first time the general public gets a taste of the … Continue reading The Roll-Out
Humid and hot. Over 110 degrees on the pavement. Yet still, thousands of people waited in line. Our team showed up around 2 pm and people were already there for a 7 pm event. Working a Trump rally is like a poll/focus group rolled into one. And going from one Trump rally to the next … Continue reading Observations from the Greenville Trump Rally
Check this out. This is a handwritten letter, circa 1938 or 1939 from a young Ronald Reagan. A good friend of mine, who is a dealer of old books and frequently comes into possession of old manuscripts and autographs, gave this letter to me as a gift this past weekend at the NC GOP Convention. … Continue reading A Letter from Reagan
Tomorrow, we complete the first wave of county organizational buildout for the campaign with a meeting in Williamston, NC (Martin County). This will complete 14 such meetings collectively targeting all 100 counties. The response has been great and we have signed up several thousand people to assist us in our county specific campaign activities moving … Continue reading General Campaign Update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNQhuFL6CWg I watch this video clip at least once a week. It should be required viewing for all candidates and campaign managers. I respect most all professional athletes but reserve the most respect for runners and boxers. I'll write about my view of runners at a later time, but here, I salute the boxer and … Continue reading Boxing & Politics
ax·i·om/ˈaksēəm/noun a statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. Axiom #1: He who has the gold, makes the rules. Axiom #2:He who controls the agenda, wins the race.
So I will admit, this will sound nerdy, but I love a good speech. In fact, I used to study them. When I was in high school I compiled several VCR tapes of famous speeches - political and otherwise. I own a reproduction vintage record player and sometimes I play a multi-record set of very … Continue reading The New Lyceum Movement