The Penalty of Running for Office
Another area of attack is at your job. Is your boss or the owner of the business you work for supportive of you? An incumbent can cause trouble here too. In fact, you could lose your job under extreme circumstances. Do your politics conflict with that of the person who writes your paycheck? Does your candidacy affect sales for the company? This happened to me. My opponent went to my CEO and asked if there wasn't something he could do to stop me. Luckily, I had a CEO that believed in a fair election process. Hopefully before you find yourself in this situation, you will have discussed these issues with your boss. And if you have your own business, will your candidacy affect your profits? Can your business withstand this type of pressure?
You can expect to get attacked, because it is a very effective campaign tactic. If your opponent has no issues to pound you with, it is likely that he/she will find something to attack you on from the research he/she has done on you. A bad place to be is on the defensive. Don't be a reactionary. If this attack happens, you must call your most loyal and experienced people together and strategize your response. In one of my previous articles, I mentioned the fact that if you have personal secrets, you should have revealed them to your campaign manager before the endorsement. If you did this and still became endorsed, then you should have already planned for this possible situation. Sometimes, no response at all is the best strategy. That and attacking your opponent with your research may be the best option. This will take some of the focus of the media and literature off of you.
In this arena, women have to be just as strong as men, and sometimes even more so, because the response to this type of attack will show that you have the strength to play with the big boys. It is getting better, but let's face it, politics is still seen as a traditionally male playing field.
It is said that it takes the average person seeing your name five to seven times in order for them to remember it on Election Day.
So, remember what they say: publicity, whether it is good or bad, will put your name in the minds of the voters. And on election day, most of them will
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