Incumbent Attorney General Alan Wilson is running for re-election this June 14th in the S.C. primaries. The Fall general elections in S.C. are practically irrelevant as Republicans largely run un-opposed or have a weak Democratic challenger. Win in June, and the seat is most often yours.
Lauren Martel is a true, grass roots conservative running for S.C. Attorney General. She is not bound by toxic, insider alliances. Incumbent Alan Wilson, however, has deep connections to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, The Quinn Political machine that also represents Horry County Senator Luke Rankin, and the Horry County establishment overall.
The fact that Wilson refuses to weigh in on the legality of the Alan Clemmons secret endorsement by the Horry local delegation speaks volumes. Clemmons previously sat on the Judicial Merit Selection Committee that nominates all S.C. judges.
TO WIN MARTEL NEEDS A GROUND GAME IN EVERY COUNTY
According to OneAgendaInc : Political campaigns are fought on two fronts:
- “Air war” – consisting of speaking tours and advertising. The air war is to persuade voters.
- “The ground game” – boots on the ground consisting of door-knocking and canvassing. The ground game is to identify voters. This is where elections are won or lost.
Combined, these two components are known as GOTV – get out the vote. The GOTV strategy is designed to get campaign supporters into the voting booth.
Today’s political ground game is heavily supported by microtargeting and extensive voter data collection and analysis.
Tools Used
Software and social media help to support the tools below. Campaigns use various software programs to capture and analyze the data, while Facebook profiles are used to gain additional insight into the voters’ position on certain issues. The primary tools used in the Ground Game are:
- Mailers – sending out leaflets (least effective)
- Phone banks – (moderately effective)
- Door-to-door contact (most effective)
Designing a good ground game calls for politicians and their campaign teams to step out of their offices and go into communities; knocking on doors to meet with constituents, staging rallies, addressing various interest groups, calling homes, establishing field offices and other similar activities. The underlying aim of this tactic is to identify and document supporters.
Pitfalls of an ineffective ground game strategy
- You run the risk of lacking a deep understanding of voter issues and concerns. This may mean that the issues you are strongly advocating for may not be the ones the voters are most passionate about.
- You miss opportunities to convince non-supporters to support your cause – and in turn vote for you as face to face discussions allow for constructive criticism where persons can delve deeper into conversations.
- The missed opportunity to cultivate fruitful and long-lasting relationships with voters.
Viewers can hear Martel’s reasons for entering the race above.
Can she put together an organized team of door knockers introducing her to S.C. voters? We will know soon.