The first time I was part of a winning campaign was in 2012 when I managed a high profile state senate race in one of the most rural parts of Iowa. The largest “city” in the district was home to just over 7,000 people. It was the first election after redistricting following the 2010 census and the only incumbent vs. incumbent race in the state. At the time, the Democratic majority in the Iowa State Senate was so slim that the winner’s political party would control the Iowa Senate by a margin of 26 to 24 votes for the next four years. There was a lot on the line.

There were over 35,000 votes cast in the race, and on election night, we won by 126 votes. About a week later when all of the campaign finance reports were in, we learned that we had been outspent by $100,000.

It was the sweetest of victories for many reasons.

The 2012 election was arguably the last time Iowa was truly a purple state. The retirement of Senator Tom Harkin in early 2013 and the disastrous elections of 2014 sent Iowa Democrats into a tailspin from which they still haven't recovered. It was also the last time a Democrat beyond the local level was elected in Howard County, Iowa, a county that Obama won by ten points in 2012 but went decisively for Trump in 2016 and 2020.

In the days and years that followed my first win by the thinnest of margins, I ‘ve thought about what made the difference in winning vs. losing. And from my experience then and now I can come up with three, solid conclusions.

Number one: We worked our asses off.

I am as humble of a person as they come, but I feel very comfortable saying that I set the standard as far as the work ethic, and everyone else followed along accordingly. I was in the middle of nowhere and a thousand miles away from friends and family. Work was all I had, and the experience proved to me that you can do just about anything for four months. The candidate busted her ass as well. At the end of the day, the strength of your campaign depends on how hard your candidate is willing to work, and she went to every spaghetti supper and ate every piece of pie that I told her to eat within 50 miles.

Number two: We ran a robust paid communications plan.

We had the funds to run a television ad campaign that targeted a largely elderly district with a message that our opponent, a sitting state senator, was going to eliminate Medicare benefits. We ran a state campaign on a federal issue, and few people bothered to notice, let alone care. With the full power and financial support of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee at our backs, we were able to run a paid media program that rivaled some of the less expensive Congressional races that year.

Number three: We collected absentee ballots, i.e. votes.

In addition to our own determined and energetic field director, we enjoyed the added firepower of an area Obama organizer who actually cared about down ballot races. Our campaigns shared an office, and we saw the hours of sweat and tears we were all putting in so there was an air of mutual respect that does not always exist between the top of the ticket and down ballot races. And those field staffers chased ballots like crazy which goes to show you that at least on the state level, a lot of shoe leather can make a big difference.

Hard work. Money for paid communications. Making sure people vote. These are the things that determine the outcome of elections. Now, of course, it varies depending on your office and once you get to the statewide and federal level, money increasingly becomes more and more of a factor.

I say all of this because since that narrow victory in 2012, candidates often come to me with a question about something that is relatively insignificant, and they will ask me my opinion. I always give an honest answer, but depending on the question sometimes I will say, “It’s not going to make or break the election.”

Running for office is a brave undertaking. You’re putting yourself out there and your personal reputation on the line. You should always strive to run a respectful and professional operation.

But, if I can take a page from the late 1990s book fad, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”. And if you’ve read the books, you know that it is mostly small stuff.

We didn’t win our race by 126 votes because we had more vibrant colors or an eye-catching logo. We didn’t win because of one particular bullet point on our cowboy card aka palm card.

We didn’t win because we used the word “implemented” instead of “advanced” on our mail piece. And we sure as hell didn’t win because of a flowery policy on our website. At the end of the day, no one beyond political insiders really cared if Elizabeth Warren had a plan for that.

And the same logic applies to losing. I’ve been a part of losing campaigns, and we didn’t lose because of the small stuff, either. We didn’t lose because we didn’t tweet about puppies enough or because we decided to prioritize one event over the other or because one person did or did not endorse us. And we didn’t lose because the candidate wore black instead of blue to a big event.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that campaigns and candidates shouldn’t think about the small stuff and solicit input and opinion.

My message is DON’T OBSESS OVER IT!

I see too many candidates sweating the small stuff when they should be focused on the big picture items that cause a campaign to succeed or fail. I don’t care if your campaign is running out of beer koozies with your name on it if you have $20,000 in outstanding call time pledges.

No one cares how beautiful your Corvette is if it doesn’t run because you can’t afford an engine.

So for all of the candidates out there, I implore you for the sake of your own sanity, focus on the forest, not the trees. And the next time you are faced with what is in your mind an important decision, ask yourself a simple question: “Is this going to make or break my campaign”.

If you’re still not sure, ask your campaign manager because believe me, they will know.

Monica Biddix
Workhorse Strategies, LLC
Principal and Founder

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