We’ve read dozens of insightful year-in-reviews of the American political landscape and offer this summary: the American electorate is universally grumpy.
The Far Right spews the bile of the Big Lie, Progressives are sorely disappointed with a stalled legislative agenda and the middle quintile of voters are so cross-pressured politically and fatigued by the impact of COVID that they are reluctant to engage. Too few Republican leaders have the spine to speak for true conservatism and too few Democratic leaders acknowledge the political necessity of holding the center.
So we gladly bid 2021 goodbye and turn our attention to the New Year. We have no crystal ball and offer no predictions for 2022. Instead, Chism Strategies will focus on the tried and true. These are enduring lessons we’ve learned from more than 2800 campaigns from town council to the White House.
Quality research improves the odds. Digging deep at the outset to fully understand the political landscape—current public opinion AND vote history patterns by demography and geography—gets us closer to victory.
Multi-channel messaging is key. No single channel gets it done in this world of countless communications options.
Nothing beats one-to-one conversation. Voters yearn for authenticity more than ever. Quality canvassing, live phone banks, and legitimate peer-to-peer texting are important tools.
Dexterity creates an advantage. No one knows what the “new new” thing will be in the 2022 general election and experimenting in the primary season should pay dividends this fall.
We look forward to seeing you in the coming months—hopefully in person but if not then the ubiquitous Zoom call.
