How to Run in the Pennsylvania Governor's Race
The position of governor of Pennsylvania is the highest elected office in the state. Pennsylvania governors are elected to four-year terms. Any resident of the state who has lived there for at least seven years, is an American citizen, and is at least 30 years old can run for governor. Candidates should be willing to commit a substantial amount of time and money on the race, from deciding whether to run, to getting on the ballot, to actually running the campaign.
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Things You'll Need
- Petition
- Financial statement of interest
- Affidavit of residence
- Campaign staff
- Campaign funds
Instructions
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Research the leading current political issues in Pennsylvania, as well as the duties and responsibilities that come with being Pennsylvania governor. Get a pulse on news and issues that are important to Pennsylvania voters by paying close attention to newspaper articles, television news reports, Internet news stories, blogs and social networks. Prepare your political platform before you decide to run.
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Discuss the rigors of the campaign with family and friends. You will need their support during the race, and you may be spending a considerable amount of time away from them. Make sure the decision to run for governor has their full support, as you will not want any distractions during the campaign.
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Pay the filing fee of $200 to the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation. Decide which political party best fits your political platform, or if you want to run without party affiliation. For nomination on a major party ticket, you must fill out a nomination petition and get the required 2,000 signatures, with at least 100 signatures each from 10 of more different counties. For an independent run, you must fill out a nomination paper and get a number of signatures representing at least 2 percent of the votes received by the candidate who received the most votes of any candidate for any statewide office in the last general election. File these papers with the Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation by the deadline.
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Submit your financial statement of interest and affidavit of residency to the Bureau of Commissions by the same deadlines required for nomination documents.
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Organize your campaign staff. Assign a campaign manager to handle day-to-day affairs and appearances and a treasurer to handle your campaign finances. Recruit a volunteer staff to make phone calls and handle other campaign activities. Raise campaign funds and generate interest in your candidacy through debates, television ads, circulars, and telephone and door-to-door canvassing.
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Watch the election results on election night via the Pennsylvania Department of State Web site or television reports.
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References
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