How to Run for Congress (in Eighty-Three Easy Steps)

Table of Contents

Introduction

Phase 1: April of the Year Before the Election (First Preliminary Stage)

Phase 2: May through July of the Year Before the Election (Second Preliminary Stage)

Phase 3: Whenever Your Local Election Authority Posts the Relevant Forms (Floating/Waiting Stage)

Phase 4: August and September of the Year Before the Election (First Information-Gathering Stage)

Phase 5: October of the Year Before the Election (Second Information-Gathering Stage)

Phase 6: November of the Year Before the Election (Third Information-Gathering Stage)

Phase 7: December of the Year Before the Election (Surveys and Endorsement Stage)

Phase 8: Some Time Between January and March of the Election Year (Floating/Waiting Stage)

Phase 9: February and March of Election Year (Endorsements and Policy Study Stage)

Phase 10: Mid- to Late March of Election Year (Printing and Beginning Petitioning Stage)

Phase 11: Early April through Mid- June of Election Year (Ending Petitioning and Prepping for Final Push Stage)

Phase 12: Late June of Election Year (Post-Petitioning Stage)

Phase 13: July of Election Year (Signs, Planning Events, and Planning Publicity Drive Stage)

Phase 14: August and September of Election Year (Meet-and-Greets and Debates Stage)

Phase 15: October of Election Year (Final Planning Stage)

Phase 16: Election Day

Phase 17: The Day or Two After Election Night

Phase 18: After the Election Has Concluded

Content

Introduction

     This article explains how to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, or for any position whose election is held in November. It is intended to function as both an instruction manual for prospective candidates and their campaigns’ volunteers, as well as a campaign schedule.
     It may be helpful to skip some tasks, in terms of saving time; especially if this is your first time running, and/or your campaign is short-staffed. Even if you don't do all of these things, you should at least complete the tasks that will officially put you in the running (for example, filling out and turning in forms to declare your candidacy). You may be able to complete all of the tasks below in a future campaign, after growing your support base and staff.

     

     [Note: Future calendar information for candidates running in Lake County, Illinois will be available at the following link: http://elections.il.gov/Default.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2ezfUJbTAzVdHpEitFjjQSU-K_tvr8gIloAG2mmSOM4xj6Psh4EbULT3g]

Phase 1: April of the Year Before the Election (First Preliminary Stage)

     1. Go to your state or county’s election board website, and enter your address, to find out which districts you live in, at all levels of government. If necessary, use this information to help you decide which position to run for. It may also be necessary to consider which positions often go uncontested or which usually have few contestants.

     Always make sure that you are eligible to run for the position. Make sure that you fulfill the age, residency, and citizenship requirements for the race, before deciding to formally run. Some positions may also require candidates to hold a law degree. Some states require candidates to not be felons, and seven states prohibit atheists from holding public office. Make sure that you are not precluded from assuming public office in your state.

     2. Talk to friends about running, and start a list of potential volunteers, and their e-mail addresses. Ask people you know if they would volunteer for your campaign if you declared candidacy. If people are receptive, then make a list of 100 people who you think would vote for you, or volunteer for or donate to your campaign. Ask those people whether they’d like to receive e-mails about your campaign, and then create an e-mail list, and start sending those people updates about your campaign. 

     3. Make a preliminary, tentative decision (not a final one, unless you're already certain) regarding which party ticket you’ll run under, or whether you'll be an independent, and/or whether you’ll be a write-in candidate.

     4. Decide whether to become a precinct committee-person/committeeman for your party (or whichever party whose nomination you think you’re going to run for), and go through that process (in preparation to represent the party and the precinct's voters at the same time).

     5. Ask the chairperson of your party’s chapter, how you can make the party aware that you’re interested in running. Attend whatever meetings, phone conferences, and Zoom calls are necessary, which connect the party to prospective candidates. Try to get “dibs” on running for your specific position in your specific district, to avoid the uncomfortable situation of having to run in a primary against people in your own party (whom you may admire or feel pressure to get along with).

     6. Assemble your team of core assistants and advisors. Find a campaign manager, and hire them. Then have them find you a campaign committee treasurer, a communications director, and a volunteer coordinator. Hire people to fill those positions. This will help you delegate duties to people other than yourself, to avoid overburdening you (the candidate) with too many tasks.

     7. Decide how you want to manage your other campaign assistants, and your volunteers. Ask volunteers which tasks on this list they think they could do well and do easily. Then start delegating tasks to your volunteers based on who does what best. Aside from a treasurer for finances, a communications director for public relations, and a volunteer coordinator, you may also wish to appoint someone to create literature for the campaign, someone to create buttons and signs and bumper stickers, and someone to plan events such as press conferences and protests. You may also wish to hire a policy advisor who can give you advice on how to craft your platform, and how to write a proposal for a bill in a way that it could actually be implemented and achieve the effect you desire.

Phase 2: May through July of the Year Before the Election (Second Preliminary Stage)

     8. Obtain voter rolls that cover the district in which you’re running. Get precinct data for previous election(s), and set the information aside for later, for use creating canvassing routes.

     9. Start planning the petitioning stage. Download the petition forms if they're already available. These should be available through your county or state’s election board website. If they’re not available yet, make a note to yourself to keep checking until they are posted online.

     10. Gather maps of the district, the logo of the party, any texts you’ve written about your platform that you want voters to read, and other basic information about your campaign such as contact information, and set it aside for use later, creating pamphlets for your campaign.

     11. Make lists of towns in district, and make and print and hang up maps of the district in your campaign office and/or home.

     12. Figure out what your social media strategy will be. Make a short list of sites on which you want your campaign to be active - for example, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok - and get an account as soon as possible. Create a username associated with either: 1) the legal name of your campaign or campaign committee, or 2) a catchy phrase that is related to your most important issue or the issue that you protest about the most often.

Phase 3: Whenever Your Local Election Authority Posts the Relevant Forms (Floating/Waiting Stage)

     13. When your state or county’s election board posts information about signature collection dates and dates of primaries, add that information to your schedule and/or make a note about it below. Adjust your remaining plans according to that schedule.
     [Note for Lake County, Illinois candidates only: Future calendar information for candidates running in Lake County will be available at the following link: http://elections.il.gov/Default.aspx?fbclid=IwAR2ezfUJbTAzVdHpEitFjjQSU-K_tvr8gIloAG2mmSOM4xj6Psh4EbULT3g]

     14. Download and file the appropriate forms which declare your intent to run and will ask you to provide information about which party ticket you’re running under. These forms may include declaration of intent to run as a write-in candidate, and/or declaration of intent to form a new party. Fill out these forms, keep copies for your records, and send them in. You will need to find forms for each county in which your district sits.

Phase 4: August and September of the Year Before the Election (First Information-Gathering Stage)

     15. Get proof that the county election boards have acknowledged your candidacy. Keep this information somewhere safe, where you’ll remember where you put it.

     16. Gather information about times, dates, and locations of local town hall meetings and political discussion groups, and make plans to attend them, and decide what to say. If you think it necessary, develop these into short speeches, or even policy articles, to get an early start on creating a platform and your campaign literature.

 

Phase 5: October of the Year Before the Election (Second Information-Gathering Stage)

17. Gather information:

17a. Collect any photographs of you with friends, family members, and/or pets. Include photographs of you with people in the community, that show you helping others or communicate that you are an admired, respected, and trustworthy person who is engaged in your community.

17b.  Make a list of your past addresses. This may be useful outside of your campaign as well.

17c. Make a more general list of where you’ve lived, based on that list of past addresses; and include a list of your past jobs. Include any personal information you think media and voters would want to know about you.

17d. Make a list of honors and awards that you’ve received in the past (especially those relevant to politics and community engagement).

17e. Update your resume. Create a resume that includes your past work on other people’s campaigns, and your own; and create a separate resume that does not include your own campaigns. On the campaign version of your resume, list any groups you’ve been involved with, such as activist groups, political parties, or community organizations.

17f. Make a list of locations where you often see political campaign signs; especially those that were clearly put up by businesses. Use that information to make a list of businesses who might display your sign (for use in Phase 12).

17g. Make a list of potential locations where you could drop literature, for use later in the campaign (in Phase 15). These will likely include:

     - Little Free Libraries (the birdhouses full of books that you might have seen in your community)
     - Mall parking lots
     - Large grocery store parking lots (Wal-Mart, etc.)
     - Grocery stores’ bulletin boards (you may have to ask the owner for permission)
     - Tables at train stations (and benches, provided they’re indoors or it’s not windy)
     - Benches at bus stations and bus stops

17h. Make a list of potential locations where you could hold signs up and be seen by lots of potential voters, for use in the several months leading up to the election (in Phase 15).

17i. Make a list of newspapers and other media sources that are active in your district; especially those which you think would cover your campaign, interview you, or publish your press releases. This list should include news directors and editors at newspapers, reporters, editors at television stations and news wire services, and podcast and YouTube channel hosts and other independent media.

17j. Make a list of all of the towns and cities that comprise your district. If necessary, create a document for your volunteers explaining who is eligible to vote for you and sign petitions supporting your campaign.

17k. Create a list of political party chapters, interest groups, activist groups, unions, business alliances, or political action committees, in your district, with which you’d like to meet. Find out whether they endorse. Start building that list, so you can decide from which groups you will seek endorsement.

17l. Disseminate the above-mentioned lists to whomever in your campaign needs them.

18. Do your first phase of self-promotion:

          18a. Get hair and makeup done, and then have a professional photo shoot; then choose all final photographs which will be used for campaign signs and literature. Place those photos with your platform, party logos, and other things you’ll need for putting literature together.

          18b. Look into having a campaign website built, if you think it necessary. Start that process and set a target date for completion no later than the following spring.

          18c. Look into starting a blog, if you think it would be helpful for you and prospective voters. Think about whether you want to publish campaign updates, your writing about your platform, and other information, on that blog.

 

Phase 6: November of the Year Before the Election (Third Information-Gathering Stage)

     19. Use voter rolls information to create canvassing routes and maps for collecting signatures.


     20. Fill out forms and do financial tasks:
          20a. File with the F.E.C. (Federal Election Commission), so you can pay volunteers.
         20b. File Social Security / EIN (Employer Identification Number) forms, so you can pay volunteers.
          20c. Start planning your fundraising strategy, especially as it pertains to social media and your e-mail list. Start planning fundraising events as well.
          20d. Consider getting a prepaid card (such as Bluebird) at Wal-Mart, to fund targeted ads seeking donations. For example, start a CrowdPAC account, attach the card, and start a campaign.
     20e. Create a fundraising kit, consisting of information regarding how to donate to your campaign. Make sure that your staff and voters know how donations will be processed.

     21. Look into getting nominations from parties, and study their nomination processes and rules. Learn about the business meeting notes, and ballot review rules, which are involved in party nominating processes; and be ready to challenge the results of a nominating election in case you’ll have a primary opponent.

     22. Make decisions about nomination requests and acceptance:
          22a. Make final decision about which party ticket you’ll run under.
          22b. Submit applications for party nominations (if required)
          22c. Find out when and where the party’s nominations will be held, and add that information to

your schedule.

Phase 7: December of the Year Before the Election (Surveys and Endorsement Stage)

     23. Create or find lists of organizations and media outlets that endorse, and start collecting the surveys that they use to vet candidates. These are usually called “candidate questionnaires” or “candidate surveys”. Make sure you find a survey specific to, or specific enough to, the position you’re running for (for example, don’t fill out a survey for a state-level position if you are running for local or national office). Make plans to meet with such organizations.

     24. Find out who's running in your race, and meet the other people in your party who are running, and also attempt to meet candidates from other parties if you support them. Decide as soon as possible which candidates you want to support and endorse, and think about which of them might be willing to do the same for you by endorsing your campaign. Start building a list of every past and present candidate and public official and prominent person who has endorsed your candidacy.

     25. Endorse other candidates in local, state, and national elections, and publish those endorsements; for example, in new press releases.

     26. Fill out surveys for the endorsing organizations that you think are the most important, and send them in. If you started a blog for the campaign, publish your responses to the surveys.

     27. Ask for endorsements from local political figures and past candidates.

     28. Once you have received responses about the surveys and endorsements, keep this information with the information you set aside for creating campaign literature.

Phase 8: Some Time Between January and March of the Election Year (Floating/Waiting Stage)

     29. Democrats and Republicans should be conducting their primaries and deciding their candidates. Be aware of at least the primary dates and their outcomes, as this will affect who your opponents are. Primary dates will vary by state, so consult your local election authority for this information.

     30. Await responses from endorsing organizations. Schedule photo opportunities and tours of facilities or coordinated protests if possible; arrange to meet with people from those orgs to discuss policy.

     31. Download petition forms from your local election authority’s website. Check for them until they’re posted.

Phase 9: February and March of Election Year (Endorsements, Policy Study, and Printing Lit Stage)

     32. Use the voter rolls for your district, to come up with canvassing routes. Make maps if necessary.

      33. Find out which day is the first day that you and your volunteers will be able to collect signatures to get you on the ballot, using those petition forms. That day varies by state, but the signature collection period probably begins in mid- to late March, and ends in mid- to late June. Consult your local election authority for that information.

     34. Create a set of instructions, for campaign volunteers, regarding how to inform voters while collecting signatures properly. You can model those instructions after the document linked at the following address: http://www.aquarianagrarian.blogspot.com/2020/07/guide-for-volunteers-collecting.html

     35. Write letters to the editor, which are tailored especially to certain topics of recent community concern. Send them to newspapers to see if they'll publish them. Send some as yourself, but write additional letters to serve as examples of what you’d like your supporters to write to newspaper editors. Share those with friends and volunteers, and suggest that they write to newspapers in support of your campaign and/or your issues.

     36. If you want to expand the level of detail in your campaign literature, develop the previously mentioned policy articles and positions into a platform for the run. Start planning pamphlets and other campaign literature around whichever key subjects you think will dominate the narrative of your race.

     37. Design QR codes that link to all important websites about voter registration, voter information, and to the web addresses that pertain to your campaign and platform. Plan to include these QR codes in your campaign literature.

     38. Do any last edits to your platform, before updating it again as news stories develop between March and November.

     39. Get an account with a printing service (such as FedEx-Kinko’s or Shutterfly), and find deals on ordering campaign literature, flyers, signs, etc..

     40. Order prints of all the campaign literature that you will need during the next three months of petitioning / signature collection. Make sure the prints will arrive before petition collection begins.

Phase 10: Mid- to Late March of Election Year (Beginning Petitioning Stage)

     41. Find out how many signatures your petitions will need in order for your name to be included on the ballot. Crunch whatever numbers are necessary to come up with goals or quotas for your volunteers.

     42. Tell volunteers about the signature collection goals. Give them instructions or train them to collect signatures, and provide them with maps, routes, campaign literature, etc.

     43. Stay informed – and keep your volunteers informed - about early voting and mail-in voting, and voter registration, so that you and volunteers can keep petition signers informed about the election in the process.

     44. Start petitioning / canvassing neighborhoods, and giving out free literature.

 

Phase 11: Early April through Mid- June of Election Year (Ending Petitioning and Prepping for Final Push Stage)

     45. Design, and order for mass-printing and delivery, the following items:
            - Buttons
            - Stickers
            - Yard signs
            - Business cards
            - Door hangers (hooked pieces of paper and/or plastic bags containing literature)

     46. Write an “embargoed press release”. Write a press release announcing your candidacy, stipulate that the press release not go out until the press conference announcing your candidacy take place.

     47. Create a press kit, which includes most of the aforementioned information. Include photographs of you with friends, family members, pets, and/or people in the community, that show you helping others or communicate that you are an admired, respected, and trustworthy person who is engaged in your community. Also include information regarding how to schedule an interview with you.

     48. Two weeks before you plan to announce your candidacy, send the press kit and the press release to your media list.

     49. Contact newspapers and radio stations, etc., to ask if they'll publish the press release, and/or interview you about your campaign, or about a specific issue.

     50. Find a location at which you can hold a press conference. Once you have done that, schedule a press conference for some Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 10 A.M. and 11 A.M.; to take place two weeks after your press kit has been created and sent out.

     51. Gather your staff, and members of the community, to practice the press conference announcing your candidacy in a “dress rehearsal”, about a week before it takes place.

     52. Hold the press conference.

Phase 12: Late June of Election Year (Post-Petitioning Stage)

     53. Based on how many signatures you got, and whether you got on the ballot, decide whether you’ll continue your campaign. If you’re going to drop out or suspend your campaign, consider announcing that fact. If you’ll continue your campaign, keep following the steps below.

     54. Buy ads on the internet, and decide when they will run. Don’t schedule any past the end of June, in case you decide to end your campaign prematurely.

     55. Create pamphlets, to give away at meet-and-greets, which focus on the most important issues in the campaign, and especially detaining how people can volunteer, donate, and vote for you. If any media outlets reported on you or published your press releases, get QR codes that lead to links to those websites, and plan to include them in new campaign literature.

     56. Order new sets of campaign literature, and distribute it to volunteers to hand out to prospective voters.

Phase 13: July of Election Year (Signs, Planning Events, and Planning Publicity Drive Stage)

     57. Petition and canvass neighborhoods, and give out free literature. Register voters in the process, and inform them about how to do early voting and mail-in voting.

     58. Go to businesses to talk to the owners about your campaign. Ask businesses and people if they will your campaign signs on their yards. Provide them with those signs.

     59. Create a short questionnaire, which is small enough to fit on an index card, asking which of your issues voters are most interested in helping you promote. Allow voters to check boxes indicating that whether they'd like to receive campaign updates via e-mail, or prefer to be contacted by phone, or are interested in volunteering and/or donating.

     60. Book events for your campaign that can function as meet-and-greets as well as fundraisers. Make plans to detail your policy positions in speeches, and give out free literature (including questionnaires about what voters think you could do to improve your campaign, if you think it necessary). Set up tables for your volunteers to attend during the event, and invite people to sign up for e-mail updates, volunteering, etc.. Give out buttons and stickers, yard signs, etc., and leave a jar out for donations.

     61. Make list of all of your events between this point and Election Day; and write campaign updates and create images containing this information, which you can e-mail to people or share on social media. This will let voters in your district know when and where they can meet you in person without traveling too far in order to do so.

     62. Let friends and family know that you'll have to prioritize campaign-related communications until November, and that you can't take many social calls until after the election is over. Get any necessary social calls out of the way as much as possible, so you have more time to focus on your campaign during the final three months of the race.

     63. Try to get on television, whether on your own behalf, or for/with a party, or as part of a protest. At the very least, look for reporters who want to talk to a “man in the street” or a person qualified to comment on an issue they’re covering, or just try to photobomb journalists. Get in touch with independent news outlets, and see if YouTube shows, podcasts, and news radio stations will cover your campaign.

Phase 14: August and September of Election Year (Meet-and-Greets and Debates Stage)

     64. Hold the meet-and-greet fundraisers you planned. Engage your audiences to obtain feedback on policy ideas, and to obtain contributions. Give a speech about what you will do when elected, take questions, and give out free literature (including questionnaires about what voters think you could do to improve your campaign, if you think it necessary). Set up tables for your volunteers to attend during the event, and invite people to sign up for e-mail updates, volunteering, etc.. Give out buttons and stickers, yard signs, etc., and leave a jar out for donations. If you like, film your speeches at these events, and publish them on YouTube.

     65. Find a video of the debate from the last race for the office for which you’re running, and make a note of who sponsored the debate. Contact any and all groups which have hosted or sponsored debates for your position in the past. These may include organizations such as the League of Women Voters (and for candidates in the Chicago area, they may include the Union League Club of Chicago). Find out if that organization is going to hold that debate again. Contact multiple organizations if it seems likely that more than one debate will be held. Find out the rules to qualify for the debates, and plan the remainder of your campaign based on accomplishing those goals. Also ask whether any the organizations involved in the debate, endorse candidates.

     66. Provide proof of your candidacy to the organizations holding debates. Document all of your communications with debate-holding organizations in your attempts to try to get into the debates. If possible, find out what the group’s bylaws and rules are regarding inviting candidates to debates, and see if you can find out whether they can be held legally accountable for violating their own bylaws. Government ethics boards might have this information.

     67. If you qualify for a debate, then:

          67a. Inform your media contacts about this as soon as possible.

          67b. Get a clear promise from the group that, once invited to the debate, you will not be disinvited. Get documentation of that promise, and publish it as widely as possible (for example, in a campaign update). If you suspect that you might be disinvited, publish a message making it clear that you will not tolerate being disinvited.

     68. Prepare for debates:

          68a. Research the most relevant, pressing, popular, and recent topics about which you’ll likely be asked.

          68b. Study debating tips, or assign a volunteer or a policy advisor the task of studying debate tips for you, so that they can teach you to debate.

          68c. Practice debating and do debate simulations. Have one of your volunteers play your opponent(s).

     69. If the debate hosts cancel on you, then go public with it, inform all of your media contacts and supporters, government ethics boards, the Better Business Bureau, or whomever you think could help.

     70. If you are unable to get into the debates for whatever reason, then consider calling independent media, and calling third-party candidates together, to organize independent debates, in which your voice can be heard. Invite the major-party candidates as well, and as many media outlets as will cover the event. Invite members of the public to ask questions, whether by voice or on comment cards. Film the event and publish it to YouTube.

Phase 15: October of Election Year (Final Planning Stage)

     71. Plan the first week of November in detail. Get off work that week if you think it will help you accomplish more in the last week before the election. Decide where you want to be when the election results come in. Political parties often host “election results watch parties” at bars and restaurants; find out where they are going to be held. On Election Day, plan to do as many appearances as possible, as fast as possible, but without spending too much time driving. Ask a volunteer or two to be your driver for the day, to help you conserve your energy.

     72. Write two short speeches; one for if you win, and another for if you lose. Plan to have these speeches with you at the end of Election Day.

     73. Find your list of places to drop campaign literature, distribute that list to volunteers, and do the last round of leafleting before the election.

     74. Do literature drops on people's cars, and drop off door hangers, in preparation for Election Day.

Phase 16: Election Day

     75. Visit as many precinct locations in your district as possible, having a volunteer drive you around. Shake hands with people, and pass out free literature. Keep an eye out for your opponents; major-party candidates sometimes hang out at voting precincts illegally in order to inordinately influence voters to vote for them.

     76. Find the victory speech and concession speech that you wrote earlier. Go to an election results viewing party, held by the party that nominated you, to wait for the results to come in. If the results of your election come in before the party is over, make a speech.

Phase 17: The Day or Two After Election Night

     77. Review the results. These results might not be available on the night of Election Day. If you are an independent or third-party candidate – especially one in a minor or local race – it might even take a week or two to find out exactly how many votes you got, in all of the counties in which your district sits. Consult these counties’ election authorities for this information.

     78. Decide whether to contest the results, or to concede defeat. If the results are close, then be careful to announce victory until you are sure that you won.

     79. Make a post-results announcement - either televised or published - about what you decided (and whether you are conceding defeat, declaring victory, or contesting the results). Whatever happened, thank your volunteers for their efforts.

     80. End your campaign formally, by notifying the Federal Election Commission, the I.RS., and/or your county or state board of elections, that your campaign has ended.

Phase 18: After the Election Has Concluded

     81. Resume your normal level of socializing and taking social calls, and take a break from political matters if you feel like it.

     82. Archive and store the literature, buttons, signs (etc.) from your campaign, and separate things that are keepsakes, from things that will be useful for any future campaigns you might be considering.

     83. You may have failed to complete some of these tasks during your campaign. If you are thinking about running again in the future, then make a note of which tasks you skipped, and whether you think that neglecting those tasks was helpful to your campaign or not. Make notes about what you would do differently in your next campaign. Think about whether you should have done some tasks earlier or later than you did. If you want, use this information to start planning your next campaign. If necessary, copy the text in this article, and edit it according to what you learned, thus creating your own campaign schedule for use next time.

Created Between March 12th and April 13th, 2021

Published on April 13th, 2021

Edited and Expanded on April 28th and 30th, 2021

Title Changed on April 28th and 30th, 2021
(from "How to Run for Congress (in Seventy-Five Easy Steps)"

Address to the Illinois Center Right Coalition (I.C.R.C.) on June 25th, 2016

Written on June 24^th and 25^th, 2016

Edited on July 19^th and August 8th, 2016

           The following piece was originally written as a spoken address. The information was delivered by hand, on paper, rather than as a speech.

           Thank you very much for having me. My name is Joseph W. Kopsick, and I’m a candidate in the race for the U.S. House of Representatives for the election to be held on November 8^th. I’m running in Illinois’s 10^th Congressional District, which does not include Elgin, but which does include my home town of Lake Bluff, as well as most of Lake County, and parts of northern Cook County.

           I am the only candidate in the race besides incumbent Republican Bob Dold; and challenger and former congressman, Democrat Brad Schneider. State “sore loser laws” prevent me from running as an independent, so I’m running as a New Party candidate. My candidacy has received the endorsement of several figures in local politics and interest groups, and I may receive the endorsement of the state Libertarian Party.

           Some background about me: I attended public schools in Lake Bluff, graduated from Lake Forest High School in 2005, and in 2009 I graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, with a major in Political Science. Since 2010, I have operated the Aquarian Agrarian, a blog that focuses on libertarian politics, radical political theory and philosophy, constitutional law, civil liberties and civil rights, labor laws, and elections. I previously ran for U.S. House from Wisconsin in 2012, and Oregon in 2014.

           The major themes of my candidacy are: liberty and limited government; non-interventionism in foreign policy; personal freedom and individual rights; due process, and security through privacy; balanced budgets and fiscal solvency; free movement of labor and capital; and the notion that government should be funded through penalties on waste, rather than through taxation of labor, sales, and investment that has the effect of discouraging those types of productive behavior.

           I’ve entered this race because I’m disappointed at the lack of ideological diversity among the candidates. Unlike me, both of my opponents support a strong federal government, domestic surveillance, gun control, foreign aid, sanctions, keeping Obamacare in place, and federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Additionally, both candidates have taken neutral or soft stances supporting the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. As the only other candidate in the race, I hope to bring to the 2016 ballot for House at least some of the variety that 10^th District voters deserve.

           If elected, I would vote to reduce the size of the federal workforce, and abolish unconstitutional federal departments; including the departments of Commerce, Energy, Education, Interior, and Housing and Urban Development. I would additionally consider restructuring or abolishing the Department of Homeland Security.

On spending, I would vote to support a Cut, Cap, and Balance plan; and / or a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. I would hope that such bills would require at least a 7-to-1 ratio of spending cuts to revenue increases.

           On taxes, I would vote to eliminate tax loopholes and differential taxation rates, but I would also oppose allowing tax cuts to expire, and eliminate tax credits, while reducing taxes across the board. I would vote to support a reduction of the individual income tax to between 12.5% and 20% in the short term, and in the long term, I would support the abolition of the personal income tax, and the abolition of the 16^th Amendment.

           I believe that taxes on personal income, investment, consumption, imports, property values, and the “inflation tax on savings”, have the effect of discouraging productive economic behavior. While, in the short term, I would accept a Negative Income Tax, or a value-added national sales tax, in the long term, I would hope to replace all current forms of federal revenue with user fees, voluntary contributions, and a reform of property taxes, involving a Single Tax on the abuse, disuse, and blight of landed property, including fees paid to communities in exchange for the privilege of extracting natural resources.

           On the military, I would vote to support bringing troops and private contractors home from Iraq and Afghanistan as soon as possible, as well as from Germany, Japan, South Korea, and other countries. I would vote to dismantle hundreds of overseas military bases, stop spying on our allies, stop flying drones over foreign countries to spy and launch airstrikes without their permission (and without congressional declaration of war), and cut all aid to foreign countries for military as well as domestic purposes.

           I will vote to oppose efforts to require men and women alike to register for the draft, and I would support efforts to abolish military conscription altogether. I would oppose all proposed federal gun control legislation, and I would introduce a constitutional amendment to restore the Second Amendment to its original intent of protecting the right of conscientious objection.

           Concerning the recent call for “No Fly, No Buy”, I would vote to support transparency into these secret No-Fly lists, and my record would reflect a cautious concern regarding due process for suspected terrorists and the mentally ill. I will never forget that a suspected terrorist is innocent until proven guilty; that even without the Geneva Convention, the Eighth Amendment prohibits torture; and that the Constitution promises a fair trial for all persons, not just all citizens.

           Regarding immigration: although taxpaying citizens do shoulder the burden of taking care of illegal immigrants, in my opinion this is primarily the fault of an expansive and unfunded federal welfare state, not the fault of people who crossed a border without committing any other crimes that harmed persons or damaged their property. I believe that welfare for immigrants should be dealt with on a state and local basis, and I would vote to support legislative rather than executive deferred action for childhood arrivals and their parents.

           I would vote to oppose the construction of a border fence or wall, oppose making English the national language, support issuing Green Cards and temporary work visas to non-violent immigrants, and support allowing non-violent undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship once they reach the age of adulthood set by the state of their residence.

           On trade, I would vote to support real free trade; the free movement of labor and capital. This is opposed to “smart trade” (or protectionism of industry), and opposed to “managed trade”, so-called “fair trade” (that is, protectionism of labor). I hope to help bring about reduced prices for American consumers by reducing and repealing tariffs (in addition to reducing sales taxes).

           I believe that increasing tariffs would only embolden foreign companies to increase worker exploitation and labor rights abuses (to offset the costs of the tariffs), and that this would increase human rights abuses abroad, making trade with such countries more controversial, thus making sanctions more likely, potentially leading to trade wars, cold wars, or even hot wars.

           On the issue of wages: given the apparent effect of increasing minimum wages on unemployment and price inflation, I would vote to oppose increasing the federal minimum wage. I would work to increase the affordability of consumer goods and utilities by strengthening the purchasing power of the dollar; I would do this by voting to reduce and eliminate sales taxes and tariffs, audit the Federal Reserve annually (or as often as possible), and abolish the Department of Commerce and the artificial business privileges which it erects.

           On labor, I take a centrist approach. I believe that Compulsory Unionism and majority union voting create the problem of workers free-riding on the benefits of union negotiation (as well as contributing to stagnating wages and soft money). But I also believe that the proposed solution to this – Right to Work laws – unconstitutionally limits the types of contracts which can be made between businesses and unions within the states.

           Employers, employees, and unions should be kept on equal footing, in regards to their freedom to become parties to contracts. I would vote to ensure that the federal government protects the rights of workers to engage in concerted activity within the workplace (to form unions and file complaints against their employers). I would vote to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act, legalizing wildcat strikes and secondary boycotts), Finally, I would encourage states to pass laws requiring employers to inform prospective employees about the nature of their relationship with – and obligations to – the workplace’s union (or unions), once hired.

           On campaign finance, I would oppose attempts to overturn the Citizens United decision. Money and speech are not equivalent in the strictest sense, but spending money is an exercise of our unenumerated freedom to engage in trade and participate in the economy. I believe that unlimited campaign donations and big money in politics are not the problem itself, but symptoms of the problem; that of a government that legislates outside of its duly delegated spheres of influence. In my opinion, candidates who favor limiting donations to $2,200 per candidate per race per election cycle, should set a good example, by refusing to accept donations in excess of that amount.

           On health, I would vote to repeal most, if not all, of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I believe that the individual insurance purchase mandate is a penalty, not a tax; and that even if it were a tax, it would be an infinite tax, which is justifiable by neither constitutional nor economic laws.

           The way to expand access to medical care is not to tax medical device sales, nor hospitals, nor the income of doctors and nurses; nor to order people to buy insurance. Instead, to legalize the purchase and sale of insurance across state lines – and to end the tax credit for employer-provided health insurance – would expand access, while reducing costs, as well as make it easier for people to keep their policies when they move across the country or lose their job.

           Additionally, I would oppose tort reform, in order to avoid taking power away from juries. I would also vote to devolve the issue of health care to the states, and in the meantime I would support capping the growth of Medicare spending.

           On education, I would vote to oppose legislation making public colleges and universities debt-free or tuition-free; instead, I would vote to abolish the Department of Education, leaving the matter of educating children and young adults to states and localities. Until the department can be abolished, I would vote to oppose all federal involvement in student loans, I would consider supporting voucher programs, and I would oppose any efforts to set up national standards in primary education.

           On the issue of housing, I believe that H.U.D., Freddie Mac, and the Federal Reserve were significantly more responsible for creating the environment that led to the mortgage meltdown than Wall Street was. Accordingly, I would vote to abolish the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

           On the environment, I would vote to abolish the Department of Energy, and end subsidies and tax credits for all energy companies and industries. I would oppose the privatization of natural resources, instead promoting an integrated approach to taxes and the environment, which would involve encouraging states and localities to establish community land and water trusts, and citizens’ dividends funded through fees on natural resource extraction. I would additionally vote to end federal maintenance of strategic petroleum reserves; oppose federal taxes on gasoline sales and oil imports; and set a goal of achieving zero non-offset carbon emissions by the year 2030, without having the U.S. become a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, instead encourage states to pursue this goal the way they see fit.

           On Social Security, I would vote to support allowing young workers to opt-out of the program. I support the personalization of retirement accounts (as opposed to privatization), and I would encourage workers to open accounts at mutual or cooperative financial institutions. I would vote to support devolving this issue to the states, I would consider block grants, and in the interim – until that can be accomplished – I would vote to oppose means-testing Social Security.

           Social issues; first, marriage.

           I would oppose Defense of Marriage Act -type legislation, opposing all federal involvement in marriage between consenting adults, which I believe is a personal, contractual, and sometimes religious institution; not primarily a political one.

           On abortion, I would support de-funding Planned Parenthood, I would make no efforts to overturn the case of Casey vs. Planned Parenthood, and my voting record would support the notion that so-called “partial-birth abortion” is not abortion, but infanticide.

           Additionally, I would oppose requiring employers’ health insurance policies to cover abortion or contraception, and oppose any attempt to interfere with contraceptive medications and devices being sold in pharmacies. I would also oppose any legislation which would require an ultrasound as a condition of getting an abortion; this would help reduce medical care costs resulting from unnecessary and unwanted medical procedures.

           As for civil rights and discrimination: while I value the right of private property ownership of residential and commercial properties alike, I believe that the federal government has a responsibility to ensure equal and integrated access to places of public accommodations, but if and only if such an enterprise is directly involved in interstate commerce, and / or receives public funding. I believe that if a business thrives solely on a voluntary commercial basis, does not operate in more than one state, and sources all of its materials and labor from within its state; its owner should retain the right to hire whom it pleases, and the right to refuse service or entry to anyone for any reason.

           Finally, I have to confess that I consider myself uninformed about veterans’ issues, especially as a 29-year-old non-veteran. Needless to say, bureaucracy and costs in that department have to be reduced, and fraud in veterans’ charities is a problem. Also, health care and employment are issues that affect veterans and non-veterans alike, so I hope that what I’ve proposed regarding jobs and health will benefit veterans in addition to ordinary citizens.

           But a good politician ought to be able to recognize when his constituents know more about an issue than he does, and listen to their suggestions when they do, so I welcome any input that you all have on the issue of veterans’ affairs.

           Thank you very much for your invitation and your time. I will have more information about the status of my candidacy within two weeks. I hope that you at the I.C.R.C. will recommend my candidacy to voters in the 10^th District.

           In the meantime, I encourage you to visit my blog, and join my campaign’s Facebook group – the addresses to both of which are listed on my business card – and if you would like to make a donation to my campaign, you can send it to Committee to Elect Joe Kopsick, at my home address. But please, no donations in excess of the amount set by the McCain-Feingold Act; money is not speech, but the words of an honest politician are as good as gold, and someone’s got to set a good example.

           Thank you for your support!