I ran for the State Senate. I spent very little, and worked with the party. I spent about $4500 – to lose 60-40. I am disappointed, since I underperformed the partisan split in the district (which was more like 40-35-25 R-D-I). I needed to hold the Ds and win 70% of the I, which I did not do. First race, but I doubt I’ll run again, since the advantages I had in this race will be gone in 2 years.
Others in senate races spent a hell of a lot more, and also lost 60-40. Many of them beat the partisan split. Good for them.
We went in with a 30R-5D senate, and came out with a 28R-7D senate. Many of the districts, esp in the rural West-River area (west of the Missouri River) were unopposed R races. In Sioux Falls, we had competitive races. In one case, a guy spent 50K, knocked on 5000 doors, and got 60-40. Hard place to be a Dem.
On the bright side, two referred measures (laws passed which gained signatures to place them on the ballot) both lost big-time. One was a teacher destruction bill. The other was a bill to create a huge slush fund. I ran to help education, but gained nothing from tying myself to the bill.
So, an interesting experience. I went in with my eyes open, and had hopes of pulling off an upset. Unfortunately, I did not win.
Thanks for having the guts to run in a district like that. Sounds a lot like southern Indiana these days. I am now the lone D out of 7 on the county council here.
That’s why it’s too soon to write a GOP obituary.
Indiana election postscript ~ we will have an all-GOP lege, complete with supermajority and guv to go with, beginning January. Scientific American, Nobel Committee, etc. please take note, Indiana has managed to successfully time-travel back to the 19th century.
Apparently not alone. Bleak in NC and WI as well. Downticket, Democrats performed poorly to very poorly throughout much of the country. Too much like 1996 when re-electing Clinton was the only DEM goal. Fat lot of good that did for liberal/progressive policies as he presided over the greatest assault on the New Deal legislation to occur before or after his tenure. Yet, sixteen years later Democrats remain in love with that vulture.
My condolences on the loss, but my hat’s off to you for fighting against such difficult odds. And who knows what seeds you may have planted that will bear sweet fruit in the years to come?
Thanks for trying. At least you talked to a lot of people about your values.
Hard luck – it seems nowadays you either need a shedload of money or a complete wingnut opponent to win in more rural areas. Hopefully you built something for the future.
Did you get name recognition throughout the district?
Yes, I really did. We did about 5 rounds of postcards, some positive, some accountability, some comparative. By the end, people were saying, “Hey guy” to me, and did recognize me.
Sorry to hear you lost, but it’s good that you did it.
Sorry to hear you lost, dataguy. If you feel up to it in coming days it would be great to read a post about your experiences / learnings from the campaign.
Thanks for posting your experiences. I’m sorry that you didn’t succeed.