Run for Something : A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself

The must-have guide for young progressives looking to run for local office, complete with contributions from elected officials and political operatives. You’ve been depressed since the night of November 8, 2016. You wore black to work the next morning. You berated yourself for your complacency during the Obama years. You ranted on Twitter. You deleted Twitter. You sent emails to your friends saying, “How can we get more involved?” You listened to Pod Save America. You knit­ted a pussyhat. You showed up to the Women’s March on Washington. You protested Donald Trump’s executive orders. You called your congressman. You called other people’s congressmen. You set up monthly donations to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. You reactivated Twitter (begrudgingly). Here’s what you do next: Run for something. To be specific: Run for local office and become the change you want to see in the world. Forget about Con­gress. Forget about the Senate. Focus on the offices that get the real sh*t done: state legislatures, city councils, school boards, and mayors. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a white man over sixty with an Ivy League law degree. (In fact, it’s better if you’re not!) It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand the first thing about running for office, or never even imagined you would. That’s what this book is for. Amanda Litman, experienced in hard-fought state and national election campaigns, is here to give you guid­ance as well as wisdom and insight from elected officials and political operatives she interviewed for this book. There are half a million elected officials in the United States. Why can’t you be one of them? From the email marketing director of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the co-founder of Run for Something comes an essential and inspiring guide that encourages and educates young progressives to run for local office, complete with contributions from elected officials and political operatives. You've been depressed since the night of November 8, 2016. You wore black to work the next morning. You berated yourself for your complacency during the Obama years. You ranted on Twitter. You deleted Twitter. You sent emails to your friends saying, "How can we get more involved'" You listened to Pod Save America. You knitted a pussyhat. You showed up to the Women's March on Washington. You protested Donald Trump's executive orders. You called your congressman. You called other people's congressmen. You set up monthly donations to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. You reactivated Twitter (begrudgingly). Here's what you do next: Run for something. To be specific: Run for local office and become the change you want to see in the world. Forget about Congress. Forget about the Senate. Focus on the offices that get the real sh*t done: state legislatures, city councils, school boards, and mayors. It doesn't matter if you're not a white man over sixty with an Ivy League law degree. (In fact, it's better if you're not!) It doesn't matter if you don't understand the first thing about running for office, or never even imagined you would. That's what this book is for. Amanda Litman, experienced in hard-fought state and national election campaigns, is here to give you guidance as well as wisdom and insight from elected officials and political operatives she interviewed for this book. There are half a million elected officials in the United States. Why can't you be one of them' From The E-mail Marketing Director Of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign And The Co-founder Of Run For Something; Comes An Essential And Inspiring Guide That Encourages And Educates Young Progressives To Run For Local Office, Complete With Contributions From Elected Officials And Political Operatives. Introduction: Why I Wrote This Book -- What The Worst That Could Happen? / Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton -- 1. Why You Have To Run For Office -- A Pep Talk / Emmy Ruiz -- 2. Why Winning Isn't Everything (or, An Excuse To Talk About The Utter Bullshit That Is The Uncontested Election) - 3. Civics 101: How Government (generally) Works At The Federal And State Levels (or, Why You Should Run For Local Office) -- 4. Why You Can Actually Run For State Legislature -- Running As A Progressive In A Red State / Jason Kander -- Do Something / Senator Cory Booker -- 5. How To Run For Office -- Running A Campaign: Tips From An Expert / Jen O'malley Dillon -- 6. Mobilization (or, How You Reach Voters) -- 7. Message (or, What You Talk To Voters About -- 8. Money (or, How To Raise What You Need) -- 9. Writing Your Campaign Plan -- Make Local Elections Great Again / Addisu Demissie -- 10. So You're Not Running For Office (yet) -- Seven Questions / John Podesta -- 11. Why I Made Campaigns A Career (and Why You Should Too) -- Campaigns Will Change Your Life / Marlon Marshall -- Politics Isn't Broken / Teddy Goff -- 12. How To Actually Get A Job On A Political Campaign -- 13. Phone Calls And Tweeting And Marching, Oh My (or, Activism 101) -- Conclusion -- Appendix. Amanda Litman. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 220-221).