3 Key Reasons Why Candidates Lose Elections

These days, you can't turn on a TV, radio, read a newspaper or attempt to surf the worldwide web, without being bombarded by haphazard "Vote for me! Vote for me! Vote for me!" pleas from candidates who are seeking public office. Although most candidates hire a public relations and marketing firm to plan their campaign, very few are successful at implementation. Even after spending millions of dollars and failing to hit their mark, candidates have no clue as to why they lose. I've run in political circles for almost 10 years quietly observing this startling phenomenon. Here are the top 3 reasons why political candidates lose elections:

Accessibility
Let's face it. People want to meet you before deciding whether or not to vote for you. Unfortunately, most candidates think that the best way to meet their constituency is via a rally, debate or forum. What most candidates don't realize is less than 1% of the voting population actually attends those types of events. What's worse is that you will often see the same attendees over and over and over again. I'm not saying that a candidate shouldn't attend these events because it is imperative that (s)he does attend. However, these events should not be the candidate's sole method of interaction with the voter. Candidates can not afford to be that lazy anymore. Good ol' fashion door-to-door campaigns will work wonders. Even better, candidates should show-up unannounced at supermarkets, fairs, gyms, libraries, etc. This way, the candidate has a chance to interact with real voters and not just those who purport to be leaders in their communities. Trust me, people will tell others that a candidate stopped by their quilting circle just to say, "Hi."

Delusions of Grandeur
Things have changed, but candidates haven't, or so it would seem. In politics, arrogance will kill your career...early. In the good old days, a pastor, employer, or ward leader could drop a hint as to who the population should vote for and it would be done. These days, voters can do their own research and are much more discerning. During the last mayoral primary in Philadelphia, the underdog won. The underdog candidate, a mere city council person, beat out a U.S. Congressman, a State Representative, a U.S. Congressman and a billionaire. The opposition still is not certain how he did it. But, his formula was simple. For him, every vote counted. You see, most of the other candidates were running under the assumption that area constituents knew them and would vote for them. Unfortunately, most of the people who "knew" the candidates are those listed in the previous paragraph. They are the 1% of the population who gives the pretense of being "connected." Most of the other candidates practically ignored 99% of the voting population. One does not get elected with 1% of population's votes, does one? The winning candidate did not assume that people knew him and would vote for him. As a matter of fact, he assumed that voters did NOT know him. He made himself available for public interaction in every way possible. As the owner of a media corporation, I can't tell you how important this is. A candidate can't assume that one media outlet is more important than another. These days, it's more likely the "smaller" media outlet that holds the ticket to the win because smaller media outlets have more focus.

Forgetting that People aren't (that) Stupid
Sure, there are still people around who will vote for a candidate based upon whether or not (s)he is easy on the eyes. But, those types of voters are few and far between. Because of the internet, news is getting around FAST. So, if you've got some skeletons on your closet, are as dumb as a door knob, refuse to disclose your income or lie about having been a Green Beret, the public will find out...early. A candidate's best bet is to "keep it real." Which means truly understanding the public's pain points. Candidates must understand that many American families are anxious about safety, income, health and education.

Additionally, candidates must know how to tell a constituent how he can help himself. Constituents have grown tired of the "Great Savor" campaigns of yesterday. People know that candidates don't have all of the answers. Voters these days have their own answers to problems that plague their communities. All they need is a candidate who is able to connect them to the resources that will allow them to help themselves, their families and communities. As far as voters are concerned, making available a responsible project manager, marketer and office space for a great program idea would make more of an impact than fake campaign promises.