Aspiring candidates attend training
Several potential candidates for public office nurtured their civic duty ambitions by attending How to Run for Public Office, a workshop held Feb. 10 in Georgetown.
Strategic and tactical advice was provided by a panel of former campaigners addressing key aspects of running for office: preparation and advance planning, staying authentic, cultivating support personnel and finances, messaging, problems to avoid, and the personal ingredients needed for successful campaigning.
The program was conducted in a hybrid format with attendees present both in person and via Zoom. It was sponsored by Sussex County Democratic Party at its Sterling Avenue headquarters.
“This is part of our ongoing outreach effort to identify, encourage and enable good candidates for public office; to help folks who want to contribute to the well-being of their community,” said Jane Hovington, party chair.
Panelist Leslie Ledogar chairs the 14th Representative District Democratic Committee, which is anchored by Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, and currently supports Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, at the capitol. Ledogar described important styles and types of messaging to help candidates align their personal values with voter needs. She counseled taking the long view and soliciting enduring voter support.
Panelist Kerri Evelyn Harris, former candidate for U.S. Senate and current DNC National Committee member, is beginning her campaign for the 32nd Representative District. Her counsel to other candidates covered matching one’s promises to the scope of the office sought, keeping the campaign staff aligned with one’s personal mission vision, and using voter feedback productively.
Panelist Erik Raser-Schramm, a campaign worker in Delaware since 2004, has participated in runs for offices up and down the line: local, state and national. A past chair of the Delaware Democratic Party, he is currently deputy chief administrative officer for New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. Raser-Schramm contributed advice via Zoom on places to secure campaign support, how to advance plan around these targets, and ways to utilize help so it matches volunteer interests and capacities. He also counseled how to manage screening questionnaires from potential endorsing organizations.
The workshop included a spirited question-and-answer session as well as closing commentary on candidness as both a candidate and a subsequent public officeholder. In closing discussion, the need to maintain voter contact after the election also emerged as a vital aspect of politics in Delaware.
