run for public office

Here’s the most recent post to my blog which explains why…

i’d really like to do this when i’m still young. maybe i could start with city council or state representative…you have to be 25 to run for city council, which is stupid, but only 21 to run for state rep…

It’s in my blood. I’m already very civic-minded.

Well, my name is Justin Rich. I am a native of Mounds View, Minnesota. I joined the Army when I was 17 years old, and now that I am done I have returned home. I have been out now for about one year. To say things in a quick comment lets just say that my hometown of Mounds View has really went down hill. So has my state.
The road conditions are horrible, the taxes are fairly high without profit , and our juvinile crime rate has went through the roof. As a veteran who has served two tours in Iraq and who has seen the real game of politics I have decided to fight back.
I would eventually like to see myself as governor of this great state, but for now I guess I will stick to the local stuff. I am really tired of seeing the little people being pushed around. The middle and lower class people are really taking a beating right now, and I will fight this.
Well, that’s just a little about me, so I hope I will be joining all of you soon as an actual political figure. Thanks, and may the Lord bless.

I ran for a city council seat. Against an incumbent who had an initiative on the ballot and all of the union endorsements. I had to knock on a lots of doors to win this race. It soaked up a ton of my time but it was worth it. I won by 50 votes.

Probably.

I ran for two reasons. One: There was only one person running for the office, and I didn’t like the notion of an unopposed election. Two: Getting on the ballot was fairly easy—fifty signatures.

I’m not sure I’d do it again, but it was definitely a learning experience.

when I first signed up for 43things, i thought this would be a neat one but after trying to write an entry for it…lol, its just not a priority at all. Ta ta, Run for public office.

I’m beginning to think that there is no such thing as a “right time” to do this particular goal. I will always have something going on that can’t be interrupted by a sustained campaign. That doesn’t mean I won’t do it, however…

For future reference to anyone else who may attempt this,there’s a neat tactic to use for this. Find a position that’s recently been vacated in the middle of one term. For example, if a state congressman spot is only voted on every 4 years in your state, and some guy gets promoted 2 years into his term, the governor will appoint someone to serve those last 2 years. If you can get that appointment, you can run as an incombent, and you get all the benefits that go along with that. It’s a very effective way to grab 5 to 10 percent more of the vote when the next election comes around, as people like electing incombents.

Note, however, that you can’t use the phrase “re-elect” this way as you weren’t elected originally.

I am running for public office! I took out papers, got 20 signatures, and am blogging:http://www.jasonwong.org about the the entire race process. The SFDCCC is the representative arm of the Democratic Party in San Francisco, and pretty much the first office you can run for – there are 12 positions on either side of the city. It’s an incredible process, from endorsements, to hitting the supermarkets, getting your mailers out, raising money. 7 days left, so wish me luck! Even better, if you live in SF, vote for me!