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![Preview of the KAPOW handbook, excerpt copy [up until character limit] that reads:
How did we get here?
America has cultivated a culture where thousands of people across the country take the noble first step to run for office, only to find themselves sprinting all the way to Election Day through an extremely traumatic, masochistic, and undemocratic process we like to call "campaigning".
Political races are analyzed in terms of who raised more money (which is far easier when you know rich people or are rich yourself, who has the most connections (who doesn't love a backroom deal?), and who is more "electable" (translation: white, centrist man). The extraordinary amounts of cash burned on advertisements and consulting every year are considered a natural byproduct of a system we pretend is still functional. It's almost impossible for working class people to represent their communities as those with power consolidate it further.
But guess what?
It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to suck.
When I started my congressional campaign, I wanted to try all of the things I've ranted about to my partner: "Why don't Democrats do [insert cool thing]?" Every time I was in a room with someone with power, I asked the same and was always told it won't work. "Well, have you tried it?" I'd ask. The answer was always no. So I decided to try it myself. At worst, I'd lose. But I'd still give the next person a case study to point to, to know that we tried to do something and make it better the next go around.
Well, I did lose. But we - myself, my team, our supporters - won a lot too. We beat 15 candidates, including multiple elected officials, coming in second, just 3 points shy of first place. When I launched, many politicos didn't think I'd break 5%. But we did. And we did it by actually breaking the mold.
That's where KAPOW comes in.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ats4shmeia7i7ildqm3denmd/bafkreiayy6betazf5ek27s3cy436e2umzcnk6wzsmzd3wd5q4qg45db4rq)
![Preview of the KAPOW handbook, excerpt copy [up until character limit] that reads:
So... What is KAPOW?
Great question! The KAPOW Method is the name for a new method of campaigning, defined by three main pillars:
• The integration of mutual aid and direct service into electoral campaign work, turning political resources into tangible impact
• The radical belief that helping your community before Election Day is a viable organizing strategy
• The creation of an explicitly political community through creative and non-traditional political action
But my personal favorite description comes from my friend and collaborator, Mia Orlando:
" ]When we say 'KAPOW!, it means halting the doom.
It means turning collective anger into meaningful change.
No one person can do this alone, and through many different channels, we can come together."
Everything described in this handbook comes from our own experience in the Kat for Illinois campaign and what we have learned since founding KAPOW. While we have given a lot of thought to how this would apply in a hyper-urban landscape like Manhattan or a more rural landscape like Idaho, at the time of writing this, we have not been able to do this kind of operation in those places. I say this to remind you, the reader, that nothing in politics and nothing in human-to-human interaction will be one-size-fits-all. And, if we have the capacity, we would love to help you tailor this method to your own campaign.
This is also a method that requires buy-in from both the candidate and their staff. It requires strong values and courage, a willingness to analyze and accept opportunity costs, investment in divergent methods, accessibility, creativity, and a commitment to the work, win or lose. But that's why you're running in the first place, right?
We included an index that divides our method into a variety of categories. At the end of each category, we also added a section for Frequently Asked Questions.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ats4shmeia7i7ildqm3denmd/bafkreicswembfaa27jhnn5xzdrrnfmlv3ckodqhsj2lwjprzzx2dcmgbla)
