How to Run for the Governor of Missouri
Running for election as the governor of Missouri involves a very challenging and complex series of activities, similar to running for the same kind of elected office in any other state. Candidates need to have sufficient funds, political savvy and experience, support, and plenty of experienced and skilled staff. Even with all of these resources taken care of, the chance of success is a big "maybe" because winning depends on getting enough votes for a majority win.
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Things You'll Need
- Political experience in prior elected offices
- Internet domain
- Exploratory committee
- Campaign funds and donations
- Experienced campaign staff
- Experienced marketing staff and strategy
Instructions
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1
Develop your political experience by running for lower level elected offices first. Build a portfolio of experience in city, county and statewide elected positions as you work your way up toward the governor's office. Build a network of alliances with other politicians, lobbyists and special interests to call upon for support in the future. Buy an Internet domain early for your name and election before anyone knows you're considering an election run.
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Reach the age of 30 before engaging in any official governor election campaign. Also make sure you've been a U.S. citizen for at least 15 years and a resident of the state of Missouri for at least 10 years. A natural born citizenship is not required.
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3
Initiate an exploratory committee when you are close to running a campaign for election. Have the committee probe significant political party leadership and major campaign finance contributors as to whether you will have success in candidacy. Make a decision as to whether to run for governor based on the committee's findings. Begin to actively solicit campaign donations and keep the funds in a separate campaign account. Do not mix the funds with your personal accounts.
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Hire experienced campaign and marketing staff to help your election run. File your paperwork with the Missouri secretary of state's office to run for governor. Begin your official campaign with a full-blown marketing plan for your campaign message. Establish a website to detail and provide your political platform, information and ways for people to support and get involved.
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Visit community meetings and groups statewide as much as possible. Use every media opportunity to get your face and message seen by the public. Avoid taking too many hard political positions early in the public campaign as you will need room to maneuver politically in debates later on.
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Continue to build campaign financing. Seek donations large and small through direct request, community meetings, fundraisers and Internet website campaigning. Seek debates with your opponents in your party's primary to seek official party support. Campaign to win your party's primary for official candidate nomination.
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Repeat steps 1 through 6 on a statewide basis for the general election once you have won the primary election for party nomination. Seek to engage opponents in a statewide debate that is televised. Continue to push your political positions first voiced in speeches and debates. Market your position in the last few weeks of the campaign with heavy television commercial rotation and media editor interviews.
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Push campaigning right up to and through the day of election. Avoid campaigning anywhere immediately near a polling place. Keep marketing and campaigning with supporters until the final election voting time is over. Wait for the results and celebrate the election when declared the winner.
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Tips & Warnings
Draft a campaign strategy that does not marginalize any groups. As a new governor candidate, you cannot afford to offend valuable voters, especially when facing an incumbent governor as competition.
Avoid any relationships that make look like you are taking campaign funds as a bribe for a future political position as governor. This can cause both your campaign and career to implode as well as trigger criminal investigations.
References
Resources
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