Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D.I.Y.ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide.
This week, we are going to talk about one of the most difficult campaigns of any sort to run. When a sitting state or county officer decides to retire or passes away, in a large number of states, their replacement is chosen by a meeting of the precinct officers that reside within that district.
In some cases, this race can be easy. A legislator decides it is time to move on and wants to turn a seat over before the next election, giving a new individual some incumbency before a run. In many cases, however, tragedy or personal consequence change a race. Whether a legislator is incapacitated or passes away, a vacancy of office results in the requirement that officers meet and decide their replacement.
This process, selecting a new legislator and deciding to run in this circumstance, can be an emotionally difficult task. As a county chair or precinct officer, though, it is one of the most important duties of your office. So, let’s talk about what can make these situations successful.
The replacement of an officer who retires is sometimes a pretty happy event. In some cases, they decide to move on to do something else, make a major change in their life or just decide the time has come to move on. In other cases, the requirement to replace a legislator is not as joyous, such as becoming incapacitated or their untimely passing.
I had originally planned to discuss this later in the year, but with the untimely passing of a Kansas state legislator, it felt appropriate to do so now. The Oregon Precinct Committee guide sums this duty up correctly:
In addition, PCP's attend State Central Committee Meetings, vote on official party business, elect county party leadership and Platform Convention delegates and, occasionally - even nominate replacement state legislators or state senators when they retire, or replacement Democratic nominees who withdraw after the primary!
While it is meant to sound exciting, candidates who face replacing a sitting legislator due to tragedy often struggle to feel great about running for a state house seat to replace another. Since it has to be done, let’s talk about the steps to do this right.
First step: remember, you are honoring the legislator you are replacing.
Often, potential candidates for these races say they feel ghoulish, or terrible, seeking elected office after someone has passed away or become incapacitated. In many states, this procedure can happen quick, with a replacement named within 28 days.
The loss of a legislator stirs up a lot of emotions and will make any precinct race far more emotionally difficult than a general campaign.
For candidates, remember that the legislator you seek to replace had Democratic goals for their district, and ran on those values. The greatest way to honor their service is to pick up where they left off and provide their district with the representation they offered. Leaving a district without representation is certainly nothing they would have wanted, and your service in their seat isn’t anything to feel bad about. If you decide to run, think positively about what you can accomplish due to the work done by the legislator you may be replacing.
Precinct Committee Conventions
Replacement of a state officer through the precinct committee is primarily done through a district convention. PCOs who live within the legislative district that has been vacated will be served notice and attend a meeting to pick their replacement.
In some cases, this means only a handful of individuals will actually have a vote as to who replaces that elected officer. It also means, for the candidate, that if you are a candidate seeking this office the number of people you will have to talk to will be significantly smaller than the number in a primary or general election.
Thanks to this, you’ll have more time to directly interface with those who vote on a replacement officer.
If you are campaigning to replace a sitting officer who has retired, the very first call should be to that elected official. They may have someone in mind to replace them, but they do not get the final say on their replacement. Even if they are promoting another candidate, it doesn’t prevent you from being friendly or having a decent conversation.
If you are campaigning to replace an elected official moved for medical reasons or their passing, talk to the county officers about their hopes for the seat.
Beginning your next campaign
Should you prevail in a precinct committee convention, you become a sitting elected representative. Congratulations! Because you were selected through this process, you have the benefit of incumbency in your first full election. That benefit can be significant, but you also face the negative of having to introduce yourself to the voters who elected the person you replaced.
Constituent services in these cases will be especially important. Building bridges back to the community members who voted for the person you replaced and fulfilling their goals helps communities address the loss of a beloved official; and if you are replacing a retiring officer, strong lines of connection with the retiring member give you an active surrogate for you in the community.
The moment you are sworn in, your next campaign begins.
Next week we start our campaign for 2018 from the beginning, with new candidates. In 2015-2016, we followed the path of Jessica Jones. For 2018, I’m going to step away from the candidate and focus on the activist and how outside advocates gear up for elections.