Winning Local and State Elections [Paperback]

Ann Beaudry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

"Invaluable insight for those on the verge of entering electoral politics at the grassroots. In concise, no-holds-barred fashion, (the authors) take the intimidation out of political campaigning and bring it to the door of the average citizen".--Jim Hightower, Texas Commission of Agriculture.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A direct, very basic guide to running a political campaign. The authors draw on their experience to construct a campaign strategy that may be useful to the first-time candidate. Many novices may have ideas for recruitment of volunteers and for fund raising, but do not realize the importance of designing a budget, bookkeeping, or scheduling the candidate. Step-by-step instructions take the reader through the campaign from the planning stages to the election. A volume of this size cannot address the subtleties of politics and will therefore be most useful in uncomplicated local races or as one small part of a larger information bank created for a campaign in a more complex sphere. For public libraries. Kathleen Hoeth, NYPL
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684863774
• ISBN-13: 978-0684863771
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #568,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid and Thorough, April 2, 2001

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Winning Local and State Elections (Paperback)

The authors have put together a very practical book on running for local political office.

All of the topics are covered here and neatly organzied. The prospective candidate and manager will gain insights into campaign planning, campaign organization structures, the use of volunteers, fundraising, media and other topics. I've run for office six times (successfully) and think that the authors have just about covered all the pertinent topics.

There are other campaign books out there that survey the vearious topics related to campainging. This book is probably the best of the five or six I've read. Not only do the authors present good descriptions of how to approach the various campaign issues and problems, they also provide enough of a framework of why issues are addressed they way they suggest to bolster their statements and observations.

If you are looking to run for local office or get involved in local campaigns, "Winning Local and State Elections" would be a good guide.

I'm teaching a course in elective politics at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Center of Government. This is one of the required reading books for the course and is also used by some other teachers in the field at colleges and universities around the country.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great primer for learning ins and outs of local campaigning, February 4, 2002

By 

"dcdre" (Medford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Winning Local and State Elections (Paperback)

This book is my first on the subject of state and local campaigning. I found the advice very well organized and very useful. Beaudry and Schaeffer provide insightful information on organizing a campaign in general, collecting funds, recruiting volunteers, targetting specific voters, and forming an effective staff.

My only criticism of the book is that it seems a bit dated. While it was published in 1998, it literally makes no mention of the Internet and its potential for local campaigning. Perhaps the authors considered it irrelevant, but my little experience with recent local elections suggests otherwise.

As someone who intends to make a first run for local public office in the next few years, I found the book to be a great primer for learning the many intricacies of organizing a campaign. It is a useful tool for pursuing books on the specifics that Beaudry and Schaeffer outline in their work.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well-written overview, but quite dated, May 9, 2005

By 

A. Reback "product guy & urban planner" (Philadelphia, PA via SF) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Winning Local and State Elections (Hardcover)

This is another good primer into runner for or managing a local (smaller than state-wide) election. Unfortunately it never made it past a first edition, so while you'll see a 1998 publishing date for the paperback (1st paperback edition), the content itself hasn't been udpated since 1986. Other reviews do a good job of saying what you'll get in the book so I won't be redundant. As many newer texts have come out on the same topic you're much better off with one of them, even "How to Win a Local Election: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide" by Lawrence Grey is a bit more up-to-date. Arent't the fundamentals of running for office still the same? Sure, but many critical elements have changed: leveraging computers for mailing lists + consituent communication, using databases + specialized vendors to create house-by-house targeted street walking maps, the diminished importance of bumper stickers and "chochkies," and the importance of the web. These are all little things, but when added together, they're important. Until this book is updated with a newer edition, you're better off with another book.