Building CoalitionsStakeholder Management in Political Campaigns
Ronald NehringChairman, Republican Party of San Diego
County
Building CoalitionsBuilding Coalitions
• Factions dominate politics.• Coalition represents a plurality of
your district.• Critical part of reaching your vote
goal …but not the only part.• “Leave Us Alone” vs. “Takings”
Coalitions
Building Coalitions Building Coalitions
• Building coalitions means identifying potentially supportive groups within your district, and bringing them into your campaign.
• Neutralize potentially negative groups.
• A game of addition, not subtraction.• Your campaign = common interest
Identifying StakeholdersIdentifying Stakeholders• Stakeholder: Individual or group
potentially affected by the office you are seeking.
• Build a stakeholder matrix.• Target specific groups.
Taxpayers = Taxpayer groups.Business = Chamber of Commerce, NFIBProfessions = Trade AssociationsPeople of faith = Churches, faith-based
groups.Tech workers = Dell, Microsoft employees.
Stakeholder MatrixStakeholder Matrix
Comprehensive list of all stakeholders with a potential interest in your office.
1. Identify and list each group.2. Determine their perceived position
on your campaign.3. Determine actual position.4. Which groups’ positions can you
influence?
Stakeholder MatrixStakeholder Matrix
You
Stakeholder ManagementStakeholder Management
Potentially Positive Groups:
Incorporate into your campaign.
Bringing a group into your coalition
Bringing a group into your coalition
• Prepare to approach the leadership:• Nature of the group.• Leadership.• Membership.• How does it communicate?• Important dates and events.• Partisan?• Precedents?• What causes have they adopted in the past?
What public policy interests do they have?• Calendar of events?
Bringing a group into your coalition
Bringing a group into your coalition
• Your victory is their victory.• Approach the leadership, or entire
group (depending on circumstances).• L. L. H. L.• When the time is right, ask for their
support. Don’t expect to get it if you don’t ask.
Once You Secure Their Support
Once You Secure Their Support
• Formal endorsement• Financial support from group and/or
members?• Membership list for voter database?
• Most groups are stingy with lists. But, where there is a will there’s a way.
• One-time use of the list?• Communication to members of group’s
support?• Volunteers for campaign?• Surrogate speakers?• Voter registration?• Participation in events?
Stakeholder ManagementStakeholder Management
Potentially Negative Groups:
Neutralize when possible.
Neutralizing ThreatsNeutralizing Threats
• Identify potential threats when developing the stakeholder matrix.
• Determine which potentially-negative groups can be neutralized.
• How?• Build relationships.• Identify common ground.• Identify support within the group.
Building CoalitionsStakeholder Management in Political Campaigns
Ronald NehringChairman, Republican Party of San Diego
County