Knowing Your Opponent

“Forewarned is forearmed,” an old proverb tells us. In other words, advance information provides an advantage. For political candidates it means discovering who might oppose them. Whenever you research your potential opponents, you become more successful differentiating yourself from them. Learn their strengths, their weaknesses, their potential platforms, and their likely campaign issues. Then after filing deadline, you can launch your campaign with the advantage of knowing who challenges your path to victory. In short, you are forearmed.

Your opponent’s record can be vital when it comes to shaping your message. Going negative just for the sake of it is a major turn off and lowers your image in the minds of many voters. But if something in your opponent’s record calls for highlighting, you can take a differing position on it to emphasize a clear contrast between you.

With a good sense for your opponent’s experience and platform, you can determine if each supports his or her message. For example, if your opponent calls for new parks but in the past has opposed funding for them or missed voting in a bond election for parks, you can produce a message that underscores your record of supporting a particular park or a recent parks bond election. Look for inconsistencies between what your opponent advocates and the underlying record. Then stake out strong positions that differentiate you from your opponent.

For instance, by knowing your opponent’s ties to business or land development interests, you can draw from environmental, neighborhood, and labor groups as you form your base. But do it only if you share their interests because voters sense it when you don’t. In your message to such groups, prove how your views differ from your opponent’s. By finding out as much as you can about your potential/actual opponent(s) as early as you can, you have time to make a credible case for why your target interest groups should support you.

Opponent-related material to research and where to find it:

• Voting record reveals your opponent’s civic character. From your city or county elections department, you learn when your opponent first registered to vote, voting frequency, and if party affiliation ever changed.

• Campaign finances reveal how much funding your opponent has and who/what groups are contributing. From this you learn who and what you are up against. Though state requirements vary, you may learn how your opponent spends those funds. See your city, county or state elections department or secretary of state for details.

• Incumbent’s official records offer the chance to learn as much as you can about your incumbent opponent’s record. Go to the clerk of the board, county or city to find:

• Official voting record for what legislation, policy, or projects your opponent supported or opposed.

• Official meeting minutes for attendance, spoken comments, or other official actions of your opponent.

• Videos of meetings attended by your opponent to see how he or she performs before the public, with peers, and under pressure.

• Public ethics records tell if your opponent has had ethics complaints filed. Go to your local or state public disclosure commission and newspaper of record to find out.

• Personal information reveals if your opponent has had legal or employment problems. Check the Internet and newspaper records. Also visit your local county or municipal clerk to learn if civil judgments were ever filed against the opponent. Go to local courts or the police department to find out if your opponent has a criminal history or has dodged traffic tickets.

• Properties and businesses owned disclose potential conflicts of interest between investment properties owned all, or in part, by your opponent. Visit your county assessor, auditor, or clerk for this information.

• Social media postings reveal your opponent’s comments and photos or videos posted in the past.

• Website offers information about his or her record, platform, and accomplishments declared to create credibility.

• Education confirms that your opponent earned degrees claimed and that reported honors were received. Verify claims by visiting the applicable college or university Website, and if they release transcripts, order copies.

The Take Away

Going negative is never encouraged. However, when you have identified your opponent and his or her strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor a solid contrasting message. To learn what your opponent might find out about you, run similar background checks on yourself. When you investigate both your opponent and yourself, you emerge forearmed because you took time to become forewarned.