10 Lessons Learned: Running a Write-In Campaign in 7 Days

Over the next 10 days, I'm sharing lessons from my mayoral campaign—one lesson per day.

Full disclosure:

This was an odd-year election (lower turnout, different dynamics)
I'm not a political expert or professional operative.

But I believe these insights are valuable for experienced candidates, political operatives, and anyone considering running.

My Ask

Give me feedback. Challenge my thinking. Share your experiences.

I want to synthesize this into a step-by-step, repeatable guide for future candidates—especially those without big budgets or party machines.

𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝟭: 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗥𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴—𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝗜𝘁

I'll be honest: I wasn't thinking about running when the filing deadline hit in July. Maybe with a nudge and more awareness of what seats were open, I would've considered it sooner.

But here's what Tuesday showed us: There's an energy and a wave Democrats and Independents can ride for as long as we have free and fair elections.

This administration will fail by their own doing—it's inevitable. What matters is whether we're ready to fill the gap and give people better options.

Don't wait for permission. Don't wait for perfect timing. Just run.
We need you on school boards, town councils, county commissions. We need a deep bench ready to step up.

𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝟮: 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 > 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀

In odd-year elections, poll greeting may be more impactful than large protests and canvassing. Not to discount the visibility of protests, but winning seats matters too. Canvassing is a requirement, but the hit rate is 10-20% vs poll greeting is over ~80% conversation rate.

Most voters showed up with NO idea who or what was on the ballot.

With 2+ greeters per precinct, I believe you can decide a race right outside the polls.

You're catching the RIGHT people, that are engaged enough to vote when the ballot is bare, at the exact moment they need information—not weeks before, not days after.

Your turn: Have you seen poll greeting shift races? What's your experience?

𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗢𝗡 3: Voters Can’t Find Candidate Information

Even motivated voters struggle to find basic candidate information.
Multiple people told me: "I searched for candidates and couldn't find anything."

If your campaign isn't discoverable online, you don't exist to a huge chunk of voters.

Website. Social media. Google-able name. Basic digital presence.
Not optional anymore—even for local races.

I was running against the Mayor Pro Tem and member of the city council for 15 years, many people still didn't know who he was.

Your turn: How do you make candidate info accessible? What works?

Thinking about running?

Check out Run - Run For Something to see what seats are open in your area in 2026!