Home » Politics & Society » Women in Politics » And If You Don't Win !

And If You Don't Win !

© Hunter

Losing an election is compared to Divorce or Death of a Spouse in its impact on you as a person.

When you put your heart and soul into something, and work on it day in and day out, live it, eat it, sleep it, dream about it . . . .it consumes you, not attaining it can be shattering. You as the candidate will actually go through the stages of grief, as you would in the death of someone close to you. Some will go into a depression . . .

It is something that I have never understood is why before the election and during the campaign, the phone never stops ringing . . . everyone wants to be your best friend, but if you lose the election, the phone is dead. . . no one calls to see how you are doing. The fact is that you are not doing well, and a phone call, or an invitation to lunch or coffee just to talk about your feelings would be a great help. Bus most of the time, you will not hear from many of these people until they are looking for someone to run for office again . . . they the phone will start ringing and they will all be back in your corner. And running for office and losing the election is much like childbirth, the bad memories fade and you are in most cases up for trying it again.

It has always been my belief that the best thing the political parties could do would be to hold a grief workshop after the elections, within a few days, and send the losing candidates to it. After the election is the worst time to be alone and not have anyone to talk to about your feelings of loss, embarrassment, anger, frustration, helplessness, and more.

Those who worked on a campaign may be disappointed in the fact that the election was lost, but it is the candidate whose name was out there and who had the most to gain or lose. It is the candidate that needs the reassurance after this shattering blow to his/her self-image.

That is why there is such a high percentage of people that will run for an elective position once and if they do not make it, will never try it a second time.

No one wants to be branded a "loser", but that is what some insensitive people will do. . .my answer to a statement like that is that the only loser is the person that stops trying or never tries in the first place.

The copyright of the article And If You Don't Win ! in Women in Politics is owned by . Permission to republish And If You Don't Win ! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.