Excerpted from PINK POLITICS – The Woman’s Practical Guide to Winning Elections written by ElectWomen Magazine Publisher, Kathy Groob 

“A Congresswoman must look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, speak on any given subject with authority and most of all work like a dog.” – Representative Florence Dwyer

PINK POLITICS – Time and time again I’ve spoken with women candidates who won their elections against all odds. These include women that ran in a district that had a history of voting for the opposite party. Women who did not have much in terms of resources won their election despite the odds. There is a common thread among those who pulled upsets or nearly won a tough race and it is that they outworked their opponent.

Despite coming up a half a percentage point short in my last election, I like to think that I outworked my opponent and that I was the better candidate. My opponent was an older man who frankly was tired of running for office and was used to coasting. He did very little while in office, or during his campaign. Extreme partisanship helped keep him in office; and my hard work brought me within a very close margin of winning.

What are those hard work strategies and efforts that women have put forth that pushes them over the finish line on Election Day? They mostly include a lot of shoe leather and persistence. “At the end of the day, these races are still about shoe leather, door-knocking and pancake breakfasts,” says Tim Storey, senior fellow at the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. “You can still outwork your opponent.”

Outworking your opponent means virtually a 16-18 hour a day campaign and working smart. Spending your time focused on two areas – fundraising and talking to voters. Sounds simple?

Working smart means showing up at the right events, meeting and speaking with as many voters as possible, and slipping out before long speeches begin or a banquet dinner. Some evenings, I attended three events making sure to touch as many voters and donor prospects as possible, but careful not to engage in lengthy policy discussions and campaign chatter. You will need to learn to make contact, fully engage with a person but then move on in order to cover an entire room.

Former candidate and attorney Eric Deters, in an article titled The Perfect Candidate, says “you don’t have to be perfect, just outstanding.” In sports, the hardworking candidate would equate to “Charlie Hustle”. You need to be energized and hustling every minute of every day.

Teresa Isaac credits the hard work she displayed while on the campaign trail as a big factor in her becoming elected as mayor of Lexington Kentucky. “Voters saw me as accessible, saw my boots on the ground and saw me as a person who would listen to them both as a candidate and as mayor,” said Isaac.

Use every spare moment for making money calls and lining up meetings with large contributors and influencers. Early morning coffees or breakfast meetings can be squeezed in before work or before call time. Find time to call neighbors and friends to ask if they will host a house party or meet and greet so you can expand your circle of friends and donor prospects.

Depending on your regional and geographic dynamics, the campaign season will include several different types of events where large crowds gather. Good voter contact events include Lenten fish frys, church festivals and picnics, holiday parades and events, senior picnics and bingos, back-to-school events and parades, state and county fairs, food festivals, and fall harvest festivals and events.

To read more, purchase your copy of PINK POLITICS at electwomen.com/store or available at Amazon. E-reader versions available for Kindle, iPad and Nook.