How to Win an Election

Ready, Set, Run provides a practical playbook for would-be candidates and campaign operatives.

“Students build a campaign week by week, using a real state-level race as a model,” says Conley. “They begin to think and behave like campaign managers, which is important for candidates to learn, too.”

They start with one all-important measurement: calculating votes to win. “Campaigns are all about numbers, nothing more, nothing less. Candidates should always be aware of their votes to win and how close they are to that goal,” says Conley.

The Candidate

In the course, Conley stresses the importance of finding the right candidate—one who will put in the hours and enjoys face time with constituents.

“Successful candidates are multipliers of talent and resources. They have to show consistent commitment because they’re asking other people to sacrifice their time. Great candidates get work out of volunteers that the volunteers didn’t know they could give,” he says.

Sandrin saw those qualities in Derenoncourt when they met in class. “He goes through life connecting with people,” she says. “He follows up and follows through. He’s sincere.”

When Derenoncourt decided to run for city councilor-at-large in Brockton, he took Sandrin up on her offer to work as his assistant campaign manager.

“I wanted to run as councilor-at-large so I could represent the entire city,” says Derenoncourt. “In a city that blends so many cultures I may not speak everybody’s language, but I can understand where they come from. I credit the international community at Suffolk for helping with that.”

The Campaign

Derenoncourt knew it would be an uphill battle. He and his supporters would have to work hard in a short period of time to make a relative political newcomer into a contender in the “City of Champions.”

Sandrin stepped out of her comfort zone on day one, emceeing the campaign kick-off event. “It was terrifying,” she says, but most other tasks were right in her wheelhouse—managing printers, organizing all-hands meetings, and focusing on the details that make a campaign run smoothly.

Finding a message that would resonate with voters across such a large and diverse city was critical. “We came up with the message of ‘together, let’s build a stronger Brockton’,” says Sandrin. “The message of overcoming difficulty and working together is really the American Dream.”

Occasionally Derenoncourt called on Conley for feedback and advice. Conley’s encouragement for candidates to canvass as much as possible paid off.

“Going door-to-door made the difference,” says Derenoncourt. “People were so loving and trusting. They’d offer drinks and conversation. In the face of adversity, they changed my mindset and restored my faith.”

Sandrin was surprised by the “overwhelming” support from the community early on in the campaign. “The first time I door-knocked over the summer I saw sign after sign for Jean. People were offering their resources to help.”

Hard work and grassroots support translated into victory in November 2017.

The Takeaway

Before he came to Suffolk, Conley spent long years working on several political campaigns. He speaks from experience when he tells students to “develop a niche. Be willing to put in five or six years on the ground making contacts and getting hands-on experience to find the area you like. If you don’t figure out how to control a campaign it will control you,” he says.

Sandrin is following that advice. She’s graduating this spring after completing a fellowship at the Blue Lab campaign incubator, which focuses on running outsider candidates like U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who was a political newcomer when he successfully challenged an incumbent Massachusetts congressman in 2014. She’ll take the lessons learned there and on Derenoncourt’s campaign into her new full-time role—as a field organizer for Moulton.

Since taking office, Derenoncourt has become a powerful voice for the positive contributions of immigrants in the face of political tensions. His story and his advocacy were what caught the attention of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in January when she made him her guest at the State of the Union address.

“The course gave me the steps I needed to run,” says Derenoncourt. “That knowledge empowered me to be a speaker, a strategist, and a candidate.”

Derenoncourt’s rapid ascent underscores what Conley tells those interested in getting into politics:

“I always tell students that I can’t promise you’ll always have success, but I can promise you’ll never be bored.”