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Cities Offering Internet Access
Municipal broadband projects like UTOPIA and iProvo are gaining in popularity, says a National Journal telecom update article. But battles continue between cities and the big phone companies.
Political Junkie Comments
Beau Babka: “You ought to include (as a political junkie) my old campaign manager, Jeff Bell.
He's everywhere and it's all political. He even TiVo's CSPAN.”
Rep. Mike Waddoups: “I nominate Mont Evans. He has a room in his home devoted to research and political action. He calls it the War Room.”
Smart Campaign Finance
The Art of the Ask
By Paige Marriott
(Paige is principal with the Marriott Group, and along with partner Karen Hammond from the Woodland-Hammond Group, handles fundraising, lobbying, and grass-roots communications for clients in Utah and Washington, D.C. The partnership has raised over $50 million for candidates. This article is one in a series on campaign fundraising strategies. Paige can be reached at: paige@marriottgroup.com.)
Utah political candidates could learn something from know-it-all teenagers who shamelessly and unabashedly ask their parents for money. These Asking Adolescents have perfected the art of developing a sales pitch, asking for donations and closing the deal. Like bracing for an expected Florida hurricane, parents have to prepare for the next hit.
Candidates for elective office tend to be more inhibited about asking for money, yet it is a critical element for success. Without money in the bank, candidates don’t stand a chance. By using a few tried-and-true tips, candidates may find that asking for money is not the drudgery they anticipate.
Before a candidate solicits money from others, he or she ought to invest in themselves by making the first contribution to their campaign. With the rising cost of campaigns, this is expected. Initial campaign investors should also be family members and close friends. It’s not a good sign when a candidate can’t count as top supporters their own family and friends.
According to the Republican National Committee, the average campaign contribution is $30. This is not big money, but a steady stream of low-dollar contributions adds up quickly. My grandmother, who lives on a fixed income, would gladly write a check to Sandy City Mayor Tom Dolan. It might not be much, but she loves the guy and would consider it an honor. You add up small contributions from my grandmother and others like her and Dolan will be in office until the end of time.
After asking friends, family, and grandmothers, the money chase really begins. At this point, some candidates would rather walk over hot coals, but it doesn’t have to be that painful. When Congresswoman Mary Bono and I worked together on her 1998 special election, we began each fundraising call by giving the potential contributor the number of days until the election. She opened her pitch by saying, “We’ve got 62 days until the election and I have media buys to make and direct-mail to send out. We could really use your help.” By providing a sense of urgency as well as a deadline, donors felt that their contribution would make an important difference. In 30 days, Mary Bono raised $1 million and won her late husband’s seat in Congress.
Former Gov. Mike Leavitt was also particularly astute at fundraising. When I worked on his 2000 reelection, I was amazed at the ease with which he closed a deal. He often began his fundraising calls by cracking a joke and he always asked for a specific dollar amount. Leavitt’s confident style made him a successful fundraiser, which in turn helped make him a successful candidate.
One of the best pieces of fundraising mail that I ever received came on a 3x5 card from a Summit County candidate who asked me to invest in one day of his campaign. The card outlined his positions and reasons for running for office and then read something like this: Each day of my campaign costs $79.99 to run. Please help me pay for one day of my campaign by writing a check today for $79.99. It will make such a difference in the 30 days leading up to the election! This small card had all the components of a successful and creative ask; the candidate told me why he was running, what he needed, when he needed it, and how my contribution would be spent. The dollar amount was memorable and I immediately cut a check and put it the mail.
Besides phone and mail solicitations, a good candidate will take fundraising a step further and ask contributors to host a fundraising event or write letters to friends soliciting additional funds. Attracting more people to the fundraising process strengthens the campaign and adds volunteers at all levels – a tactic that threatens the opposition’s organization.
Fundraising is tough work and requires a candidate who truly has fire-in-the-belly. It must be part of the day-to-day campaign and must be incorporated into the candidate’s schedule – not as an after-thought. Instead of driving themselves to campaign events, the candidate should get someone else to do the driving so he or she can be on the phone dialing for dollars. Instead of dealing with administrative matters, the candidate needs to be talking to potential contributors.
Finally, but most importantly, the candidate must thank contributors. A hand-written note from a candidate immediately after receiving a contribution makes a significant impression, and doing so on personalized stationary is a nice touch. As a professional fundraiser, I’ve met contributors who refuse to give additional money to a candidate because they never received a thank you note, just as I’ve met contributors who will always be loyal to a candidate because they were thanked.
Even for seasoned candidates, returning to the well is not easy, but with each positive response it becomes less painful and maybe a little fun. Last year, I contributed to President Bush’s re-election campaign and almost every day I received a letter from the President or a representative of his campaign asking for additional funds. They had me on the hook. Campaign contributors, like parents of teenagers, expect to be asked again and again for money. Candidates should remember that the art of asking for contributions is simply asking someone to join a winning team. After all, isn’t there an Asking Adolescent in all of us?
Washington Watch
$3 Million Grant for UVSC
Rep. Chris Cannon has announced that Utah Valley State College will receive a $3,125,778 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support early college preparation and awareness activities for low-income students. UVSC will be able to offer services at high-poverty middle and high schools to support awareness activities and fund scholarships for low-income students.
Town Hall Meetings
Rep. Cannon and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson will host a town hall meeting (click here for details) on Monday, August 22, to address the questions and concerns of local veterans.
Rep. Rob Bishop will hold a town hall meeting on Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the North Salt Lake Council Chambers, 20 South Highway 89.
$5M for Utah Commuter Rail
Over $5 million will soon be coming to Utah for commuter rail, says a press release from Sen. Bob Bennett. The money will support preliminary engineering work on the Weber-Salt Lake portion of commuter rail, the proposed 40-mile project that includes eight stations from Pleasant View to Salt Lake City. The grant to UTA is part of the $19 million Bennett has secured for the project since gaining a seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Reader Response
Dan Bammes, a long-time Utah radio personality who now works for KUED, caught a couple of minor errors in a missive he sent previously to UPD and that was published Wednesday. His follow up reminds us that Democrats were in power in Utah a few decades ago:
“So the note I dashed off to you yesterday winds up in Utah Policy Daily, and I need to correct some errors of fact: Ernest Wilkinson was Ted Moss' opponent in the 1964 election for the U.S. Senate. He did not run for governor. Glade (not Glen) Sowards is a Republican, and presided over the Utah House of Representatives as Speaker in 1977 and 78. Ron Rencher is the last Democrat to have served as speaker of the Utah House, from 1975 to 1977. Moroni Jensen was the last Democrat to serve as president of the Utah Senate, completing his term in 1980. My apologies for the errors.”
Meanwhile, UPD reader Ed Darrell, formerly of Utah and D.C., and now in Dallas, weighed in by saying:
“People don't remember Gunn McKay or Ted Moss? Heck, they don't remember Arthur Watkins or Douglas Stringfellow, either. And don't even get me started about remembering Utah's only Supreme Court appointment, Justice George Sutherland. Some people (maybe some currently holding office . . .) would rather forget his Utah connections altogether.
“Nor do most people remember that Karl Rove, then working for the Republican National Committee, was responsible for the gerrymandered redistricting in Utah in 1974. At the time he bragged that Republicans would, with the gerrymandered state and federal districts, seize control of the Utah House and Utah Senate, and the governorship, in 1976. You know what really happened. Even the good ones are wrong on occasion.
“Also, if you check the archives of Fortune magazine in late 1974 through 1976, you will find an article that lays out the case that the Republican Party will be gone nationally by 1978. Sometimes it's better to concentrate on the next election to be won, rather than the last one that was lost.”
Now You Know
Utah Population
2004 (est): 2,389,039
Urban: 88.3%
Rural: 11.7%
Change 1990-2000: Up 29.6%
% of U.S. total: 0.8%
Pop. rank: 34th of 50
Area size: 84,899 sq. mi.
Source: National Journal’s 2006 Almanac of American Politics |
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