Contesting for a re-election is not as easy as it may sound but with appropriate strategies in place one can make it though. One ought to have plans that address growth of organizations bearing in mind that the voters are well informed and analytical on the previous term. Understanding the voters is fundamental to winning the re-elections. One needs to address the factors that voters consider vital in a political contestant. In the United States issues related to taxation, human rights, affirmative action and race is a key consideration in shaping voter's decisions on the most appropriate candidate. The contestant may be questioned by the voters on the actions taken to address the various challenges in the community thus should have a planned strategy of being truthful to the voters and at the same time showing no negligence on the previous promises. The definition of goals to meet should be under clear guidelines on how they will be implemented and the time frame in which the activities should be completed. This helps win the trust of voters who may feel that the contestant failed in the previous election.
Factors such as race, taxes, and rights have a great impact on American politics (Edsall 46). For one to be successful in any campaign, they have to incorporate these factors in their manifesto. They have to address the gap that exists in the pledges promised in the previous election. This is because the voting trend in the United States has changed. The Americans have a great sense of equity and fairness thus for one to win a re-election they must address the issue of racism with promise to work toward promoting fairness and equity.
An incumbent candidate in the Democratic Party in the 1970s needed to have very strong strategies in winning a re-election especially in the northern state. The Democratic Party lost its popularity to the Republican Party towards the late 1960s for failure to address issues concerning racism. The Vietnam War made the party less popular, to the advantage of the republicans who promised to end civil wars and reduce taxation. During the same time, the level of taxation was high, and the taxpayers who were big supporters of the Democratic Party shifted their support to the Republican Party, who promised to ensure that taxation rates dropped.
After 1932, voting blocs and interest groups aligned themselves to support the democratic presidential candidates. This was known as a new deal coalition that lasted from 1932 until late 1960s. Through the new deal coalition, the Democratic Party became very popular and was the majority party. In 1933, Roosevelt formed a coalition comprising of labor unions, religious, racial and ethnic minority groups and southern whites. The poor minorities supported the deal since they could get relief jobs, recognition, and they were unionized. This new deal further gave Democratic Party presidential victory in 1932 up to 1948, 1960 and 1964. The party also had control of houses of congress. However, the coalition did not last long. Its failure was attributed to its lack of support for racial issues and foreign policy. The coalition supported domestic affairs liberal proposals but failed to address the serious issues that were raised by the minority groups. This made the coalition very unpopular.
Issues of taxation have a big impact on the election in America. The taxpayers who supported the Democratic Party in 1936 turned against the new deal because it failed to address recovery issues after the economic depression between 1937 and 1938. During the 1960s, new issues arose including the Vietnam War, civil rights, and affirmative action. People rioted in the urban areas, and this made the new deal coalition less popular with more popularity being taken by the Republican Party that promised control of crime and reduction in taxes. Considering the impact of taxation issues in America and human rights, majority of voters defected to Republican Party. After the 1960s, the Democratic Party was viewed as the party of the working class. However, the Jews remained loyal to the Democratic Party.
The senator had to address the issue of desegregation busing with a view to fighting racism. The issue of racial segregation in the schools would be overcome through busing. This would help boost voter confidence on how the senator would address the issue of racism even with his Democratic Party affiliation. One of the major factors that enhanced the new coalition deal's popularity was its ability to include workers in labor unions. This assured them that their welfare was important to their leaders. The senator needs to be very careful with the feminism issue. Women need to be given equal chances with their male counterparts in public offices.
In conclusion, the secret to winning a re-election lies in the candidate’s approach to the needs of voters. Issues that are fundamental to voters like racism, taxation, and human rights should be taken into account when drawing the campaign strategies.
Work Cited
Edsall, Thomas B, and Mary D. Edsall. Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics. New York: Norton, 1991. Print.
