only solid paths are the old tried and true: money card, connections card
the race card has been played.
I generally agree with higgs comment. My hippie brother worked for some Democrat politician, and by his account, there were definitely a series of stepping stone positions through which you work to obtain party support for various positions, most below the level of congress. Sometimes, you can bypass these if you can raise money yourself or are caught up in some random political movement, but overall, the system seemed regimented and institutionalized, which I guess is not unexpected.
If you’re serious about this, what you do is work your way up from local level politics. Generally people start out on school boards, then move to city council and/or mayoral politics, then to state politics (assemblys, state senate, governors offices), from there one can try to take on congressional offices.
Paths certainly vary, and the right sums of money, the right connections (family or otherwise), the right name recognition (like actors) and things like that can help you skip steps, but it still more-or-less a climb-the-ladder kind of thing, show you can get stuff done at lower levels in the hierarchy, and move up.
Political parties are important in terms of providing the funding and marketing infrastructures for your messages. It’s one of the reasons it is so hard to get a third candidate incorporated. If existing parties don’t like what you say, you can’t get your foot in the door with them, and if you’re on your own, it’s unlikely you can get more than 50% of the votes required (once you are above the municipal level).
Also, it’s generally considered more prestigious to be a senator than a representative (representatives have to run every 2 years, senators every 6), plus the senate has special privileges that the house does not, such as confirming appointments, foreign policy, treaties, etc. (however, any taxation bill must originate in the house - one of their few special privileges vs the senate, along with being the only body who can impeach officials). Plus there are generally more congressional districts in a state, so you can tailor your message to a narrower clientele, which generally makes it a bit easier.
In spite of this, there are a few sparsely populated states that have only 1 representative and 2 senators, meaning that - as a numbers game, it’s actually easier to be a senator than a representative.
It’s not that difficult as long as you’re open to accept donations from AIPAC and repeat like a parrot “Israel has a right to defend itself”.
I second the advice to start with local politics. It’s a lot of work to run for office. My Mom used to work for a state senator and I’d help out, puttin’ up signs passing out literature and stuff. I was able to get paid for it, but a lot of the people were local volunteers who helped out on a variety of campaigns. You have to get people to help you out with that kind of stuff.
Rethinking what I wrote earlier, you may be able to skip the state politics aspect, if all you are shooting for is to be a member of the House of Representatives. Some congressional districts aren’t much larger than the major cities or counties they contain. Giant metropoles like New York actually contain several congressional districts within the metropolitan area, so if you are successful in city or county politics and people recognize your name, the jump from there to the House of Representatives may not be that large.
The issue is that incumbent Representatives (and Senators) have major advantages. Firstly, they have name recognition and statistically, they tend to win unless they screw up majorly in some way. Secondly, the parties don’t like to stop supporting known winners in favor of newcomers, again, unless they’ve done something to p.o the party. Finally, seniority in Congress confers privileges that make incumbents more valuable to both the party and to the voters that vote for them, so people (either party operatives or voters) don’t tend change horses for trivial reasons.
Your best bet is either to launch a fierce campaign as an opposition candidate in a swing district, or to step in as an alternative when an incumbent retires or is shot up by a deranged gunman.
Until that point, state politics is often an easier way up the ladder, because fewer voters care deeply about who their state level representatives are. If you have the support of your party, and that party is dominant in your district, then they are sometimes just grateful to have someone to run.
No, but I assume it is fairly high. What makes a candidate truly loved by his party though, is the ability to raise more money than he needs for himself so he can direct that money elsewhere within the party.
Just start bleating on about creationism and jesus cause y’know, fk science. You’ll probably become president.
I don’t know the political game at all so I’ll ask, where does all this money from fundraising actually go? Is it just advertising? I can guess or google and find the official answer but does anybody know what really happens to it?
A lot goes into advertising. It also goes to pay the candidate a salary, campaign staff salaries, party leaders, “get out the vote” type things, travel for campaign purposes, etc.
My .02 - I don’t think God/George Washington ever meant for preaching and politicking to be a full time job. I think it was supposed to be an add-on in additional to your “real” job, whatever that was. Both of these have now become not only full-time jobs, but full-on careers, where people don’t study anything else, and therefore get out of touch with the real world and their constituents.
When I become emperor, being in Congress will be like being a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader–you have to have a full-time job (not in politics) in order to apply.
^When I become emperor, I would have no need for congress. Actually, that goes for cheerleaders (for cheering other people) too.
Everything would be just fine, I tell ya.
I disagree. I love Obama. In fact, I wish Dallas would have a parade for him.
Have you noticed the black suvs following you around?
They follow everyone, don’t they? The black helicopters too.
^I’m not worried. Democrats don’t come out here. This is the land of the open-carry, open-container, gas-guzzlin’ SUV, “from my cold dead fingers”, beer drankin’ Republicans.
If they do come around and the parade doesn’t work out, maybe suggest they invite their boss and go catch a play…
Not for long. Texas will be a blue state in 15 years if republicans don’t find a way to attract Latino votes.