Guide to State Legislative Lobbying, Third Edition

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Excerpt from Appendix 3 - Can working in an election campaign help me achieve my legislative goals?

This Appendix addresses a very specific issue: does working in an election campaign present opportunity for you to build relationship with a candidate that will increase your ability to successfully lobby him or her, once elected? To answer this question, we will consider three elements: 1) potential future benefit from working in an election campaign; 2) mechanism for effectively doing so; and, 3) making your investment payoff legislatively.
Why work in an election campaign?

The accrual and discharge of political debts is the currency of political life. You may have heard, "Politicians take care of their friends." Through your election campaign work you will become a friend of the future lawmaker and accrue political debts with him or her.

Our expectation is that the lawmaker will take care of us as a friend and that he or she will discharge political debt by giving us greater access to the lawmaker's office. We will use that access to better advocate our legislative issue.

Which candidate should we work for?

There may be many reasons for choosing to work on an election campaign - affinity with the candidate, his or her political platform, or his or her empathy for our issue or our organization, constituency, or our perception that he or she will win. However, for purposes of our discussion you will choose to work for a candidate with future legislative value to us.

Identifying those candidates with future legislative value is a matter of judgment, as are most political decisions. When evaluating incumbents, their future value may be estimated by looking at their record. Are they currently serving on the committee of subject matter jurisdiction or in leadership? Have they voted favorably on our issues in the past? Do we expect their party to be in the majority next legislature? What are their current campaigns promising and to whom?

When considering challengers or candidates for an open seat, look at their records. Evaluate their positions taken on issues similar to yours. Determine how favorable their political parties are to your kinds of issues. Consider how the political environment of their districts may be favorable or unfavorable to your issue. Finally, identify the campaign promises they are making and the individuals or groups who may benefit from those promises.

First time candidates find that their first endorsement is the one most difficult to get. If you are the person or group who gives that first endorsement to a candidate who is then elected, then you will be in a powerful position for future lobbying. However, giving support to a challenger can also pose great risks with the incumbent. When he or she learns that you have endorsed his or her challenger, you may replace the favor that you had earlier with hostility.

Incumbents have high rates of ....