Run: Your Personal Guide to Winning Public Office

by Marian Walsh

Whether running for office for the first time, or simply thinking of it, RUN inspires, equips, and supports you. It describes the help you’ll need, where to find it, and how to ask for it. It empowers candidates for public office to have authentic and relevant political conversations. RUN shows how to be the best candidate you can be, how to make a difference – and how to win.

Genres: Politics

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

MARIAN WALSH served two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and nine terms in the Massachusetts State Senate; she has never lost an election. She was the first woman to hold her House and Senate seats and also held ranking positions, including Majority Whip. She was nominated for the John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award honoring those in public service who “acting in accord with their own conscience, risk their careers by pursuing a larger vision.” A former chief administrative officer for the Suffolk County’s District Attorney’s Office, she is also an attorney. She was graduated from Suffolk University Law School and Harvard Divinity School. Walsh is currently a public affairs consultant and leadership coach as well as a lecturer on leadership and ethics at Northeastern University.

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads. FTC guidelines: check!

This book is extraordinary. Senator Marian Walsh explains in detail how to run a grassroots campaign and gives examples from her own experience. The chapters are well organized with questions at appropriate points so that you can gauge where you are in relation to the issue that she was discussing in each chapter. In that way, it is kind of like a workbook where you fill in the blanks with your own positions and opinions. Also, she puts in checklists, so that you can make sure that you're covering all of your bases. She adds copies of her actual campaign literature so that you can see what professional (and winning) literature looks like which is surprisingly helpful when you haven't had experience working on a professional political campaign.

At the end of the book, she presents speeches that she gave while in office so that a candidate can see what a great speech should be like. She gives ideas for fundraising, specifics on running phone banks, volunteer organization techniques, in essence- everything that one would need to run a successful campaign! It's empowering and energizing to be presented with the tools to be elected for public office.

If you're considering running for office or *are* running for office, I highly recommend that you read this book. My only regret is that I didn't read it years ago.

[Jillaire · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband gave me this book for my birthday, a very thoughtful and supportive gift since I have talked about running for office someday. Walsh was a Massachusetts state legislator who never lost an election and in this book she gives lots of practical advice for organizing your campaign and being a good candidate. While some of her thoughts and encouragement could get a bit cheesy, and I stress a little at her insisting that "the right people will just show up" rather than giving more advice on finding the right people, I believe that it's really full of concrete information that will be helpful when it's time to run.

I plan to re-read this in the future with a pen so I can make notes and underline the things that I really want to remember.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has run successful campaigns for both herself and others. She describes her methods that can be used almost universally by candidates for office. In addition, the book is interesting in that it provides insights into running campaigns to readers who are interested in politics or just want to learn about politics.

[Trevor reads history · Rating 4 out of 5]

About all you can ask for in a book describing how to run for officer her personal story how she took positions as they came up and greatly considered all views the tactics and organization of a local political campaign.

[LaDawn Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me organize my thoughts and clarify some best practices while helping my good friend run for a representative seat in the state house.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read RUN before deciding to enter my present race for state representative. I have used it as a guide throughout this experience and will continue to do so. The book is a practical guide as much as a source of inspiration. It has been tremendously helpful to me in both facets.

I have seen and felt the effectiveness of RUN in my own campaign. From standouts to phone banks to coffee hours, the guidance provided in RUN works. I have given copies to my core team to read and use as well.

I highly recommend RUN to any candidate as well as anyone involved or interested in getting involved in a campaign