3 Key Reasons Why Candidates Lose Elections

A Candidate's Ticket to the Big "W"

These days, you can't turn on a TV, radio, read a newspaper or attempt to surf the worldwide web, without being bombarded by haphazard "Vote for me! Vote for me! Vote for me!" pleas from candidates who are seeking public office. Although most candidates hire a public relations and marketing firm to plan their campaign, very few are successful at implementation. Even after spending millions of dollars and failing to hit their mark, candidates have no clue as to why they lose. I've run in political circles for almost 10 years quietly observing this startling phenomenon. Here are the top 3 reasons why political candidates lose elections:

Accessibility
Let's face it. People want to meet you before deciding whether or not to vote for you. Unfortunately, most candidates think that the best way to meet their constituency is via a rally, debate or forum. What most candidates don't realize is less than 1% of the voting population actually attends those types of events. What's worse is that you will often see the same attendees over and over and over again. I'm not saying that a candidate shouldn't attend these events because it is imperative that (s)he does attend. However, these events should not be the candidate's sole method of interaction with the voter. Candidates can not afford to be that lazy anymore. Good ol' fashion door-to-door campaigns will work wonders. Even better, candidates should show-up unannounced at supermarkets, fairs, gyms, libraries, etc. This way, the candidate has a chance to interact with real voters and not just those who purport to be leaders in their communities. Trust me, people will tell others that a candidate stopped by their quilting circle just to say, "Hi."