March 19th, 2018
(Update from January 25th post by the same title.)
There is a myth that in the Oregon gubernatorial race, the Republican candidate must be for the same old business-as-usual/big government platform in order to win. That is exactly wrong. Using that logic, we’ve been losing every single gubernatorial race for the last three decades.
The winning candidate MUST have a solid pro-family/pro-prosperity/limited-government stance.
The major hurdles? Yes the blue counties are a challenge, but the largest problem you and I have is Republican voters who don’t vote! 200,000+ in the last election! You can help solve this problem: get your family and co-workers to VOTE! Tell them to stop being discouraged! This time, let’s take it ALL back!
But, in that regard, things are shifting. There’s a new red-hot enthusiasm out there.
For instance, look at this Facebook page, which is a super-accurate profile of the populace. Growing at an average of 250 Likes per day since September 1st, this page has just exceeded an incredible 72,000 total. This more than triples the total of Governor Kate Brown, who is just now reaching 21,000. My closest Republican opponent, establishment Republican Knute Buehler lags way behind with just 11,000. His establishment opponent, Greg Wooldridge, was at 2,000 the last time I looked….
Yes, the grassroots ARE on fire, and I’m the grassroots candidate.
The primary election? Mail-in voting begins May 1st and ends the 15th. We’ve got 8 weeks until we have a gubernatorial nominee.
Now, about how we’re operating the campaign:
Are we running a “conventional” Primary campaign? Not according to the average DC Republican campaign consultant (consultants who have, collectively, over the last 32 years, had a horrible track record in trying to win Oregon statewide elections).
Yet, my campaign is “conventional” in a business sense, led by me, a candidate who is knowledgeable and involved with the prime goal of creating value. I’m always front-and-center: money and time are carefully managed, and campaign staff and voters are treated like gold. Go here to find out more about me.
We have a business plan called the Carpenter Campaign Strategic Objective. It’s brief and to the point. Here are some key elements:
Staff: This Primary campaign operation has, in addition to me, five full-time staff, a half-dozen key volunteers, over 300 on-the-street volunteers, and a number of hired and pro-bono political operatives. And NO behind-the-beltway consultants. Our total monthly budget is now approximately $40,000. (More on expenditures below.)
My personal role: Keep in mind I am a business turn-around specialist and have started numerous businesses from scratch…and for that matter, I can’t wait to get inside the state government-machine to work with our new Republican-controlled legislature to get things cleaned up. Believe me: the dust will fly….
More about my expertise in fixing broken organizations? Go here: www.workthesystem.com.
I am the candidate, but am also the CEO and the COO of this Primary campaign. I manage the direction and strategize with my managers. These leadership duties require approximately 2 hours of my time each day. I also spend a minimum of 2 hours per day writing and creating copy for advertising, and handling correspondence. And each day I spend 4-6 hours communicating with voters. Diana has now taken on the job of assisting me in voter contact, spending approx. 3 hours per day on her own. Weekends? Each day I work at least 8 hours, continuing my communication with voters and managers, and writing. Diana is working hard beside me, too. (And yes, she is a solid Republican conservative, and registered to vote in Oregon. See the previous post to find our more about her…).
Do I get a day off? Not often any more, and that will be especially true over these last 8 weeks to the primary election. Sometimes we get out to the dog park with our beagle-coonhound, Justy. We eat well, thanks to Diana’s fine southern cooking. In all of this, we’re staying balanced and remaining healthy. Diana holds our personal lives together, spending long hours covering household, logistic, and traveling basics while I focus on the campaign. And all the while, she is directly involved with campaign strategy and operation and talking to people just like you: Republican voters. I could not do this without her.
My five managers and I have completed “building the machine” of the campaign and it is being executed flawlessly because of the intense preparation (all “by the book,” meaning my organizational management book Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less). I am expert at delegating, and at automating what can be automated (without losing the human touch). I am also ruthless about eliminating tasks that are not paying off.
My campaign strategy differs from that of traditional campaigns in which the candidate is shuffled off to the sidelines to be managed by the campaign consultant, spending 12 or more hours per day – on the phone and in-person – talking to donors; raising money (most of which those candidates give back to the consultant!).
Typical campaigns expend $50,000 or more per month on key consultants and managers alone. In this Primary, we’re spending zero on upper management. In the General campaign we will be adding a couple of additional key upper-end managers and a number of mid-level staffers, 90% from Oregon. Once we win the primary election, we expect substantial financial assistance from the Republican Governor’s Association, and others.
Time with voters or donors? Here in the first months of the campaign, and precisely following the original business plan, I have deliberately NOT spent long hours each day raising money. Instead, those 4-6 hours per day (and sometimes 10 or more hours) have been spent communicating with voters via social media, email, telephone and in person. This is why we are head-to-head with Knute Buehler in the polls. We are succeeding much more efficiently than other candidates, and doing more for far less money, by focusing on what matters: connecting directly with the people of Oregon. Contrary to mainstream campaign consultants, and the media: The amount of money one raises does not guarantee votes. Instead, it’s the message and the ability to deliver that message that matters.
Primary Campaign Expenditures: we’ve spent $90,000, $60,000 from me personally, and the other $30,000 from donations. To date, our closest Primary opponent, Knute Buehler, is closing in on a staggering $1,200,000 in expenditures.
We are 2 months from the Primary election. Now our expenditures go into high gear, but we’ll win this race spending, as planned from the beginning, less than $250,000 total.
In this efficiency and economy, we’re painting a picture of what will be done when I am governor: accomplishing more while spending less. This state’s financial crisis is not because there is not enough tax money. It’s because of the horrible inefficiency of its operation, compounded by a progressive far-left ideology which has little to do with the welfare of Oregonians.
General Election Campaign: Some of my personal campaign role will shift away from everyday management and into fund-raising. However, the largest chunk of my time each day will continue to be expended communicating directly with all voters…and on-the-ground campaigning with swing-district Republican House and Senate candidates, as part of the Oregon Red Trifecta movement in which we’re also going to turn the Salem legislature red.
We will win the General campaign spending less than $4,000,000 (We expect Kate Brown will spend three to four times that amount, but you’ve seen first-hand how the big-money tact worked out for Hillary…).
And what about the Oregon Red Trifecta in which we will also win the Oregon House and Senate? That fund-raising machine is being built separately and you’ll soon see it go public nationwide after the primary win. More about the Oregon Red Trifecta here.
We MUST take the House and the Senate if we are to get things straightened out in our Oregon!
We will come out on top because we have the winning message of limited government and increased efficiency that will Make Oregon Great Again and bring prosperity back to the hardworking people of our incredible state…and we know how to get that message out.
Again: the grass roots are one fire!
And you knew this was coming: If you really want to help us, I’m asking for your financial contribution today, as we double-down on our radio, postal mailing, robo-call, social media, door-knocking, and yard/field sign distribution campaigns. (Speaking of social media, we’re hammering away on Twitter now, too: @CarpenterforOR.)
It’s crunch time. Will you please help us out with a donation?
And know this for sure: The efficiency and economy of this campaign demonstrates exactly how I will operate as the CEO of Oregon.
It almost sounds cliché by now, but truth is, you and I really are going to Make Oregon Great Again.