Some of the old ideas in any campaign are, well, wrong
One of the unspoken ideas of political campaigns came from the idea that well-off white men would bring in a lot of campaign money and get a lot of support, as well as more time to campaign. This assumption led to decades of chasing doctors, lawyers, and businessmen to run for office. It also led to the representation problem described above. Those working on the campaign, myself included, see something completely different. While wealthy white males have an inner path, it is not enough that the inner path is the only way to raise money or provide you with a great candidate. Research now shows how wrong and dangerous this assumption is for the process.
In academic research published in Researchers at the University of Washington assessed the ability of candidates who did not fit into this bucket of wealthy white males to raise money for a campaign..
Grombach said he also wondered if candidates of color had experienced a “backlash,” or that white voters either gave them too little money or actually turned in to donate to their opponent.
“We ended up finding a small drop in money from white donors to minority candidates, but it was more than offset by increased minority contributions. Opponents don’t raise any additional money when running against minority candidates.
“In general, minority candidates – especially Democrats – are at least as competitive in fundraising as white candidates. This would allay fears that nominating more minority candidates would hurt fundraising.”
The assumption that you need a white candidate has always been a way to raise your hands and say, “Okay, that’s what it takes to win,” while ignoring inherited racism and misogyny for not looking for strong candidates to serve. On the basis of its advantages. Disqualifying candidates or determining their likelihood of success from the start based on their race and wealth is discriminatory, and the Democratic donor base knows this — and, as emphasized in one study, their donations are motivated by the belief not to hold on to the problems of the past.
Diversity is desperately needed – and it is possible
In some areas, the fact that there is no diversity is hopeless and tells us that something is really, really wrong with the system at the moment. The Reflective Democracy Campaign looks at all areas of government, but when I want to show others just how problematic the situation really is, no office in America has a bigger problem with diversity than law enforcement.
In all of these states, effective campaigns can and must be run by candidates representing local communities. Problem diagrams like this show us not just who gets voted for office, it’s also who gets support and who gets appointed to run for office. While most of these nationwide offices are nonpartisan, the people who run these races don’t leave their partisan ideas at the door. Candidates are still being recruited or asked to run especially for high-level positions and receive support from people who have known them from their party connections for years. We love talking about the Democratic Party and the successes, but when it comes to looking at the local races, graph after graph will simply tell you that we’re not doing enough to recruit and support good candidates other than old white men. This trend must stop.
Encouragement is the key
Forget some old ideas about what makes a better candidate. Instead, think about what makes a community great and find candidates who care about their community. Be behind them and show these candidates that you support their campaign. Across the country, more young candidates are appearing and asking for support. We can and should make sure that we deliver. from the nation:
On April 6, Harris and his friend Fran Wilson divorced Ohio Elementary, a political action committee dedicated to supporting young and marginalized progressive candidates for local and state office. In doing so, they joined a network of organizations that provide comprehensive support—training and mentorship, fundraising, employment assistance, media coverage, and more—to young people running for elected office.
At every level of government, the average politician is older than the average American. average mayor 56Ordinary ruler 58And a member of the board of directors of the intermediate school 59. Meanwhile, the average American is fair 38.
Supporting diverse young candidates is a way to prepare and build candidates for the future. Supporting them is important in building an inclusive party and is easy to do, whether it be with a small number of funds to support them, doing some volunteer work on their behalf, or recruiting a young college graduate you know to run for public office.
States with large Democratic populations, representation in local offices, and all white men: I’m looking at you. Start with encouragement and make the effort to lead the way in change.
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