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10 Rules of Building Winning Legislative Campaigns
- endpermanentpunish
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Free game most lobbyists would charge you for💡
Rules of Building Winning Legislative Campaigns
(From the school of hard lessons under the dome)
Rule #1 — Socialize the vision before you introduce the bill.
If you’re bringing a new concept for change, the community and key elected leaders should hear it early. You don’t want the first time a legislator learns about your idea to be when the bill is dropped in their lap.
Because if they hear it for the first time after introduction, your bill is likely headed straight to the committee where bills go to die, stuck in rules, or assignments, and quietly ignored.
No buy-in = no movement.
Socialize the vision. Build the champions. Then introduce the bill.
Rule #2 — Pick a chief sponsor strategically.
Choose a sponsor whose district includes your people. Accountability matters.
And secure real partnership — not just a name on paper. That means:
• No major decisions without consulting the coalition
• Availability to meet and problem-solve
• Willingness to work the roll call with you
Your roll call is your roadmap to 60 in the House and 30 in the Senate.
Rule #3 — “I’ll take a look at it” is not a yes.
Until their name is on your bill, they are still a target. Keep organizing.
Rule #4 — Summer is for relationships building (Basebuilding)
You build trust and socialize vision in the off-season.
If the first time a legislator meets you is when you’re asking for a vote — good luck. They don’t know you. They don’t trust you.
Rule #5 — Rules are for chumps 😏
In Springfield, there’s a way around every deadline. Always. 😝 But only if you understand the game.
Rule #6 — No bill number, no commitment, no more meetings. If your bill is still in rules or assignment after key deadlines and there’s no plan to move it — stop spinning wheels. Legislators feel wasted time.
Rule #7 — You have to be under the dome to learn the dome. You cannot navigate a system you’ve never physically occupied.
Rule #8 — There are good legislators on both sides of the aisle. But not all move with strategy or wisdom. Choose partners carefully.
Rule #9 — You can’t claim statewide organizing if you’ve never left Chicago.
Power is built in communities. Everywhere. Not just in the Capitol or the city.
Rule #10 — Live in the world as it is, not the world you wish it to be. You will have to negotiate. You will have to compromise. The goal isn’t to win everything at once — it’s to win what you can without harming your ability to come back and win more.
That’s how lasting power is built.
Organizing wins legislation.
Relationships move legislation.
Power sustains legislation.
And directly impacted people belong at the center of all three.
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