Welcome to First Tuesday

About a year ago I embarked on a mission to write a series of essays and lessons on How to Win Campaigns that Can’t Be Won. I’ve worked on campaigns large and small for most of my life, and I’ve gathered what seems to be a remarkably extensive library of knowledge on winning, eclipsed only by the lessons I’ve learned in losing. They’re equally important.

But along the way, I’ve won several campaigns that “experts” told me could never be won. Candidates who were ordinary people who defied the odds, and who ignored their critics' advice that they could never be successful. They won anyway.

I wanted to pass on that knowledge before I either got too crazy to write it down, or died. Writing it became a calling, but then as often happens with missions, it got derailed.

My county is about as red as they come.  But the County Legislature passed a referendum in November of 2022 reducing the number of Legislators from 15 to 11.

Not only did it eliminate a hitherto unfair weighted voting system for lawmakers, it also provided an opportunity for Democrats to gain a very real majority.

Unfortunately, my essay writing was put on hold as I shifted myself into full election gear.

It quickly became clear that were we to mount an ambitious campaign in our district, we might be the deciding factor. So, we recruited a neighbor of mine to urn in the year-long campaign.

On January 2nd, Joanathan Anna was sworn into office in my county’s legislature. The first Democrat win in this community since its founding in 1799.

A lot of people were surprised.

One more campaign that can’t be won … but was anyway.

So now it’s 2024 and I’m back on the computer. A little older. A little wiser. And, still filled with the passion to pass on what I know in hopes that it will help you win the election in your village, your town, or your county.

Once again, I hope to write down some lessons about How to Win Campaigns that Can’t Be Won that are informative, and sometimes inspiring to pass on to you. You too can win.