By: A.D. Jenkins, NDG Columnist
I’m fresh off a tough fought campaign defeat for State Representative in House District 105 which includes parts of Irving and Grand Prairie. I will describe my experience as a storm in the heart of Texas. Even though I was working in the rain and unbearable winter, I’m speaking of the psychological storm you must endure. I will attempt to share my insight on this process.
- You cannot run this type of election alone. It takes help and support from voters from every race, color, language, age, belief, culture and perspective. You must learn to listen more than wanting to talk about your platform. I have come across a few confidants who are there every step of the way and will be with you unconditionally. I have met many constituents who are with you because of a common cause. They will stand by you as long as you are what they are for. Also, I networked with many comrades who are against what you are against. My point is your team needs to include individuals as described above to run a respectful campaign.
- The most qualified person will not always win, therefore, your track record does matter in some cases. This is more of a candidate’s challenge more so than a voter’s issue. Targeting and voter identification is invaluable at this level of politics. This is where your heart and compassion must meet the voters. The cliche fits perfectly, they don’t know how much you care, then they don’t care how much you know.
- The elephant in the room is convincing voters local elections are as important as voting for the president of our country. It’s not that we are a red community or blue community, but we a non-voting community. I personally knocked on countless doors, spoke with many potential supporters face-to-face and held plenty of conversations over the phone. The challenge is persuading each person their one vote counts and is extremely important. Twice as many people voted in this past election as in the 2014 midterm, however, we are still missing the mark when it comes to voter turnout.
Lessons learned during the storm: blessing and burdens are related. If you cannot handle the burden of hard work, disappointments and setbacks, do not expect the blessings of community approval and success at the polls.
My motto is to get over it and go knock on the next door.
A.D. Jenkins serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Irving Independent School District. The views and opinions expressed herein of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Irving ISD, its Board of Trustees or its employees.
