How To Win Your 1st Election

When this book was first published in 1987, many first-time candidates unabashedly referred to it as "the Bible." Now in a new, updated edition, How to Win Your 1st Election is a step-by-step guide to the entire campaign process, from raising funds right through handling election-day jitters. Want to know where to put up signs? What to say at a candidates' forum? How to dress to make the best possible impression? Let Susan Guber, who beat out seven other candidates in her first election, show you the way. How to Win Your 1st Election is an ideal book for aspiring candidates, campaign managers, public relations consultants and students of political science and U.S. government. Written in a clear, easy-to-read style, it devotes entire chapters to topics such as hiring staff, managing the media, creating a public image, writing and delivering speeches, and campaign ethics. What's more, it's one of the few books out there that offers a full, comprehensive look at our country's unique electoral system-as seen through the eyes of an experienced insider. Susan Guber put this information to work for herself in three successful campaigns. Won't you try the same?

Table of Contents:
Introduction -- Acknowledgments -- About the Author -- 1 Deciding to Run -- 2 Getting Involved -- 3 Using the Elections Department -- 4 Spreading the Word -- 5 Setting Up Your Campaign Headquarters -- 6 Setting Your Priorities -- 7 Raising Money -- 8 Hiring Staff -- 9 Defining the Issues -- 10 Writing and Delivering Speeches -- 11 Finding and Using Volunteers -- 12 Exploring and Utilizing Technology -- 13 Using Signs -- 14 Using Mail and the Media -- 15 Creating a Public Image -- 16 Dealing with Candidates' Forums and Dealing with Opponents -- 17 Walking Door to Door -- 18 Campaign Ethics -- 19 Screening the Candidates -- 20 Campaigning in the Schools -- 21 Campaigning in a Multicultural Community -- 22 Creating the Phone Bank -- 23 Organizing the Poll Watchers -- 24 Dealing with Emotions -- 25 Handling Election Day -- 26 Cleaning Up and Saying Thanks -- 27 Conclusion.

About the Author :
Susan Guber served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives. Prior to her election, she chaired Dade County Common Cause, the Citizen's Coalition for Public Schools, and the Women's Political Caucus. MS. Guber grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts and received her B.A. degree from the University of Chicago. For the past thirty-two years, she has lived in Miami, Florida. She has been married for thirty-eight years and has two married daughters and a granddaughter. Currently Susan Guber is a lobbyist, mainly dealing with healthcare issues. She serves on the Florida Commission on the Status of Women and the Dade Cultural Affairs Council. She was recently elected chair of the Dade Cultural Alliance.

Review :
"It's all here-how to run, and how to win... it's unique, written by someone who knows what it's like to throw her hat in the ring and put together a winning campaign. What I particularly like about it is its emphasis on grass roots campaigning-something our candidates and our political parties aren't doing enough of these days." -Michael Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts, U.S. Presidential Candidate "How to Win Your First Election is the ideal 'how-to' book for aspiring candidates, campaign managers, public relations consultants, and students of political science and American government." -Wisconsin Bookwatch