Customer Reviews

Winning Local and State Elections

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book presents a good overview of running for office, with all the information you need laid out in a logic, concise format. The only concern I have is that it could use a little more info in some areas - several times I thought to myself, "how?" or "what else should I do?" but the book presented no answer - on the whole, though, this is a good, good book.

You know, when I wrote "25 Fundraising Secrets, Raise More Money, Guaranteed" - a book on fundraising for political campaigns - I intended my book to be used in conjunction with a book that presented good, basic political strategy to local campaigns. This is just such a book.

This book is one of the best guides for someone running for office or helping a friend or family member in their campaign. In a clear, concise fashion, it lays out the key aspects of a political campaign -- money, media, and manpower -- and suggest methods of making any candidate run in a more effective fashion. I highly recommend it to anyone getting involved in politics!

Good book for a beginner at politics. I was searching for something a bit more advanced. Quick shipment and the book was in excellent condition.

This book has given me a wealth of information about organizing and managing a political campaign. I am hoping to run for a seat in the State House and hopefully it will help me win.

A good introductary guide for the uninitiated. A nice, review or check list for others.

I ordered two books from amaz*n and they charged me two separate shipping fees!

I e-mailed the company and they never responded.

I'm pissed!

This exactly what I was looking for- I needed a step by step guide to running a campaign and this book came through!! The section on fundraising was a life saver!