Door-Knocking Democrat Tries to Break G.O.P. Grip in Ohio Special Election.

[elleng]

NEW ALBANY, Ohio — There was a pitiable chance of success when Danny O’Connor knocked on Tami Halliday’s door Thursday morning to ask for her vote. All the data showed that Mr. O’Connor, a Democrat running in an August special election for a House seat here, was all but wasting his time.

But when Ms. Halliday asked him his stance on gun control, things got brighter fast. Mr. O’Connor said he favored an assault weapons ban, along with preventing people with domestic violence records and mental illness issues from having guns. “Do you take money from the N.R.A.?” she asked. “No,” Mr. O’Connor replied. “I have an ‘F’ rating from the N.R.A.”

With that, Ms. Halliday, who voted for President Trump in 2016, said she would vote for Mr. O’Connor.

The special election in a region that stretches from the affluent suburbs of Columbus to the Appalachian foothills east of Zanesville could be the next big test of the vaunted “blue wave” brewing for November. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race a tossup.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/13/us/politics/ohio-special-election-house.html?

[vi5]

1. Politics is hard work..

...it's much easier for people to just tell people what you think they want to hear. But that approach has not been doing well for us.

Tell people what YOU stand for, be convincing, and sell them on why you believe that. It may not always work but neither does pandering and just blindly listening to overpaid consultants and media flacks who tell you "You have to support 'X' in this area or you will never win!!!" which too frequently is our modus operandi in these areas and situations.

[murielm99]

2. Personal canvassing can be surprisingly effective.

It is amazing how many people do not know the candidates. If they are asked personally for their vote, quite often they will give it. It may be the first time anyone asked them.