Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way

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Q and A with Jeff Blodgett & Bill Lofy

Book Information
Top 10 Tips for Winning an Election for Yourself or Your Candidate

$22.95 paper
ISBN: 978-0-8166-5333-1

1. How can the U.S. progressive political movement create real social change?

We subscribe to a model of successful social change that has three fronts—community organizing, electoral politics, and progressive public policy. All three components are necessary for lasting political change to happen. The process of campaigning, of running for elected office, is but one side of that triangle, but it is crucial. After we run and win, we have to organize communities behind an agenda and work to pass policies that improve people’s lives.

2. What is the most important thing a candidate needs to know before running for office?

You have to know, and be able to articulate, why you want to do this job. The fact that it is the next rung on your career ladder is not enough. Voters need to see that your motivation as a candidate is pure; that you really want to represent them, and voters want to see themselves reflected in their candidate’s experiences, ideas, and values.

3. How is this book different from Politics the Wellstone Way?

Our previous book, Politics the Wellstone Way, is a general handbook on the skills of progressive political action for anyone working to elect progressive candidates or win on issues. This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide, laser-focused on the skills and tools that campaign workers and candidates need to win elections.

4. What is Wellstone Action?

Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leader development for people and organizations involved in politics and public life. We teach candidates, campaign workers, volunteers, community leaders, and activists across the country on the basics of grassroots political action, drawing from Paul Wellstone’s successful approach. We do this work because there is a need for large-scale, broad training that infuses the progressive movement with organizers equipped with the skills to recruit and elect a new wave of progressive candidates so that we can ultimately win on the issues we care about.

5. What is the “Wellstone way” of campaigning to win your election?

Winning your election the “Wellstone way” is all about authentic, real candidates capturing the energy of an excited base of support, and then turning that energy on to engaging voters in direct, repeated conversations about your candidate and asking them for their vote, their money, and their time. We’ve seen proven over and over again that the most effective methods of persuading voters are also the most personal, and we emphasize tactics like face-to-face door-knocking, volunteer phone-banking, and direct mail targeted based on what issues the voters care about.

Jeff Blodgett is executive director of Wellstone Action and has twenty-five years of community organizing, issue advocacy, and political management experience. He spent thirteen years as a senior aide, adviser, and campaign manager to the late Senator Paul Wellstone, running all three of his election campaigns. Blodgett has worked on dozens of other election campaigns and issue advocacy efforts, including Amy Klobuchar’s successful election to the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Bill Lofy is a senior trainer for Wellstone Action’s national training programs. In addition to working for Wellstone for six years as a press aide and campaign organizer, he has worked on campaigns at the local, state, and presidential levels, including managing the 2006 coordinated campaign for the Vermont Democratic Party and the 2000 Minnesota Bradley for President campaign. He is the editor of Politics the Wellstone Way: How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues (Minnesota, 2005) and the author of Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive.

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Q and A with Jeff Blodgett & Bill Lofy Book Information Top 10 Tips for Winning an Election for Yourself or Your Candidate		$22.95 paper ISBN: 978-0-8166-5333-1
1. How can the U.S. progressive political movement create real social change? We subscribe to a model of successful social change that has three fronts—community organizing, electoral politics, and progressive public policy. All three components are necessary for lasting political change to happen. The process of campaigning, of running for elected office, is but one side of that triangle, but it is crucial. After we run and win, we have to organize communities behind an agenda and work to pass policies that improve people’s lives. 2. What is the most important thing a candidate needs to know before running for office? You have to know, and be able to articulate, why you want to do this job. The fact that it is the next rung on your career ladder is not enough. Voters need to see that your motivation as a candidate is pure; that you really want to represent them, and voters want to see themselves reflected in their candidate’s experiences, ideas, and values. 3. How is this book different from Politics the Wellstone Way? Our previous book, Politics the Wellstone Way, is a general handbook on the skills of progressive political action for anyone working to elect progressive candidates or win on issues. This book is a comprehensive and up-to-date guide, laser-focused on the skills and tools that campaign workers and candidates need to win elections. 4. What is Wellstone Action? Wellstone Action is a national center for training and leader development for people and organizations involved in politics and public life. We teach candidates, campaign workers, volunteers, community leaders, and activists across the country on the basics of grassroots political action, drawing from Paul Wellstone’s successful approach. We do this work because there is a need for large-scale, broad training that infuses the progressive movement with organizers equipped with the skills to recruit and elect a new wave of progressive candidates so that we can ultimately win on the issues we care about. 5. What is the “Wellstone way” of campaigning to win your election? Winning your election the “Wellstone way” is all about authentic, real candidates capturing the energy of an excited base of support, and then turning that energy on to engaging voters in direct, repeated conversations about your candidate and asking them for their vote, their money, and their time. We’ve seen proven over and over again that the most effective methods of persuading voters are also the most personal, and we emphasize tactics like face-to-face door-knocking, volunteer phone-banking, and direct mail targeted based on what issues the voters care about. Jeff Blodgett is executive director of Wellstone Action and has twenty-five years of community organizing, issue advocacy, and political management experience. He spent thirteen years as a senior aide, adviser, and campaign manager to the late Senator Paul Wellstone, running all three of his election campaigns. Blodgett has worked on dozens of other election campaigns and issue advocacy efforts, including Amy Klobuchar’s successful election to the U.S. Senate in 2006. Bill Lofy is a senior trainer for Wellstone Action’s national training programs. In addition to working for Wellstone for six years as a press aide and campaign organizer, he has worked on campaigns at the local, state, and presidential levels, including managing the 2006 coordinated campaign for the Vermont Democratic Party and the 2000 Minnesota Bradley for President campaign. He is the editor of Politics the Wellstone Way: How to Elect Progressive Candidates and Win on Issues (Minnesota, 2005) and the author of Paul Wellstone: The Life of a Passionate Progressive.