"In short, meet people where they are, not where you hope they are and especially not where you think they should be. Don't be embarrassed in Nebraska by what it takes to win in New York and vice versa. Use the same tacticsinvolvement, interest, empathy, imagination. Fun, dammit! That worked so well for Zohran Mamdani. The point, as football coach Herm Edwards once memorably put it, is to win the game."
"This also happens to be the gospel that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been preaching almost daily ever since her national profile began to rise. She strictly avoided joining in when the elite political media attempted to create a circular firing squad, which is how Democratic politics are generally perceived. Instead, she offers the kind of eyes-on-the-prize strategizing based on the obvious evidence."
Campaign success flowed from focusing on affordability and abandoning rote talking points in favor of listening to voters and tailoring tactics to local contexts. Transferable elements include community involvement, interest, empathy, imagination, and making campaigns engaging. Candidates should meet voters where they are rather than imposing idealized positions or uniform strategies across diverse states. Avoid internal media-driven infighting and emphasize pragmatic, evidence-based, voter-focused strategy. Prioritizing winning and practical outreach over purity tests proved effective in the cited races and offers a model for future Democratic organizing and messaging.
Read at www.esquire.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]