How 10 Candidates Won Their Local Elections: Tips and Strategies

Running for office comes with a unique set of choices. Which campaign strategies do you prioritize? How do you determine which tools will make the biggest impact? And who do you go to for campaign advice?

One of the best ways to learn how to run for office is to learn from people who have already run successful campaigns.

In this guide, we’ll explore the tools and strategies that ten local candidates used to win their elections on Nov. 5, 2024. Keep reading to discover the key to each candidate’s success.

The Tools and Strategies 10 Local Candidates Used to Win Elections

Here are the tools and techniques ten candidates used to win their elections in 2024:

#1: Robin Brown

Office: School board

Location: Prince George’s County, Maryland

Election Result: Won with 32,213 votes

Key to Success: Ground game and door knocking

Robin Brown earned 56.4% of the vote in her election for school board. Now, Brown is going on to serve Prince George’s County, Maryland with integrity.

Brown told GoodParty.org that door knocking was the key factor to her victory.

“I think that really solidified my win, honestly,” Brown said. “It wasn't just myself canvassing. My kids were canvassing as well. My husband was canvassing. My aunts were canvassing. Anybody who was related to me, who can speak on my behalf, was canvassing with me.”

Brown used GoodParty.org’s AI tools to develop effective canvassing scripts for her family members and volunteers to use while door knocking.

“I thought the AI tools were very helpful. I liked the script that you guys used to knock on the doors,” Brown said. “That was helpful, because when you get volunteers, they're like, ‘Okay, what do you want me to say?’ It's the funniest thing when people do not know what to say. The script actually helped me write it in the back of my flyer as well, so that was perfect and that helped tremendously.” 

In addition to door knocking, Brown and her team also reached voters through text messaging. Brown used GoodParty.org’s SMS/MMS messaging support to send texts about her campaign before election day.

“The text messages were great, even though I was nervous about it because it's election season and everybody's getting a text from everybody,” Brown said. “People were so receptive. They would come to early voting and say, ‘I know exactly who you are. I got your text message.’”

#2: Joseph Faulkner

Office: Alderman

Location: Fayetteville, Tennessee

Election Result: Won with 1,532 votes

Key to Success: Strong community involvement and voter data

Joseph Faulkner beat two incumbents in Fayetteville, Tennessee’s race for alderman. Faulkner received 971 votes during early voting, and another 472 votes on election day.

Faulkner said having access to voter data was a significant part of his electoral win. He noted that it is often difficult for Independent or local candidates to access reliable data.

“Parties have infrastructures of all this stuff that they hand you. As an Independent or even at the local level, you just don't have that. Voter data is invaluable for someone to run a campaign that's successful, because you need those data points to make sure that you're getting your message to the right people at the right time,” Faulkner said.

GoodParty.org supplied Faulkner with the voter file, allowing his campaign to target voters effectively.

“The GoodParty.org tools helped me get there,” Faulkner said. “I've been putting in work for probably two years now, and I think that's something that a local candidate needs to really understand — that you put in the work, you get your name out there, you get involved in the community, but you also have to have data. The help from GoodParty.org put me over the edge.”

#3: Jennifer Hutchinson

Office: School board

Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Election Result: Won with 27,597 votes

Key to Success: Text messaging, mailers, and canvassing

Jennifer Hutchinson came away with a historic victory on Nov. 5, 2024. She earned 67.2% of the vote and became the first African American to win a citywide elected office in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

During her campaign, Hutchinson used a variety of outreach strategies to connect with voters. Between text messaging, direct mail, and door-to-door canvassing, Hutchinson made sure her campaign message connected with voters.

Hutchinson sent get-out-the-vote messages to voters via text during the final weeks of her campaign. GoodParty.org gave her the power to send last-minute messages for an affordable price.

“I'm grateful that I won, and I definitely appreciate being able to use you guys in the ninth hour or the 11th hour. That text blast was a game changer,” Hutchinson said. “I wish I would have pulled the trigger sooner, because it was hard. I really couldn't have done it without y'all.”

#4: James Gartner

Office: County commissioner

Location: Emmons County, North Dakota

Election Result: Won with 894 votes

Key to Success: Strong community engagement and voter outreach

In Emmons County, North Dakota, James Gartner pulled off a narrow victory for county commissioner. He earned just 33 more votes than his opponent, winning 50.6% of the vote overall.

Gartner said that engaging voters face-to-face was essential to his victory.

“It really makes a huge difference, in my opinion, to go out and show your face to people. Candidates that show up at your door or show up at the coffee shop are going to have the advantage,” Gartner said. “Where I live, older people want to see that you want it, and you're going to get their vote if you show up, hand them a card, shake their hand, tell them to have a great day, and ask for their support. Just showing your face makes a huge difference. 

“There's people that know me by my face but don't know my name. There's people that know my name but don't know what I look like. I've worked out of town for years, so to show them who I was, was a big thing. In text messages, I’ve got to throw a picture on there so people know, ‘Who the heck is this guy?’  When I advertise in the paper, same deal. I’ve got to put a picture on it. To me, that makes a big difference when people can recognize you and be like, ‘Okay, I know who that person is.’ Especially for small-town campaigns, I think it’s very critical that people see you.”

Behind the scenes, Gartner received support from an experienced political associate through GoodParty.org. This resource gave him an advantage in a tight race.

"I don't think I honestly could have done all this on my own. I know I would not have won without you guys,” Gartner said. “I attribute the win to you guys. It was a great experience. It was nice to be able to talk to Kyron when I needed him. He was always there, so it was great. I actually had a guy that said, 'Yeah, I want to run for commissioner. I need your campaign advisor.' And I'm like, 'Well, I can send you in the right direction.' So I would highly recommend it."

#5: Talida State

Office: School board

Location: Jamesburg, New Jersey

Election Result: Won with 706 votes

Key to Success: Text messaging

Talida State won her race for school board in Jamesburg, New Jersey, a borough home to fewer than 6,000 people. A first-time candidate, State won 33.6% of the vote in a three-way race for two available seats.

State said that text messaging helped her build name recognition in a closeknit community.

“We kept the texts short and sweet, not overwhelming people. [My campaign managers] convinced me to put a picture out there, which I was a little hesitant to do, but I think it helped because when people saw me, they recognized me. Even the crossing guards, they’re like, ‘Oh, I know you. I got a message.’ So I think that helped,” State said. “We kept it short, just saying who I am and that I'm running for the board. We reminded people of what I was running on — community, accountability, growth. We gave them the link to the Facebook page and the website, so if people were curious, they could find out more.”

State recommended that other candidates running for office find an effective support team like she did.

“Find a support network of people who are really invested and who have some skills that can help you,” she said.

#6: Steve Kronmiller

Office: Mayor

Location: Scandia, Minnesota

Election Result: Won with 1,366 votes

Key to Success: Voter engagement 

Steve Kronmiller pulled ahead in a close race for mayor of Scandia, Minnesota. Kronmiller won by just 73 votes, earning 51.1% of the total vote. Now Kronmiller is moving from serving on Scandia’s city council to leading the city’s local government.

Kronmiller said that having one-on-one conversations and engaging voters proved to be the winning ingredient for his campaign. He used GoodParty.org’s AI-powered campaign tools and voter data to facilitate voter outreach.

“The tools were easy to use and very intuitive. The quality of the data and the AI output was really good. I liked all of that,” Kronmiller said. “The AI engine was very helpful where it would look at my campaign website, look at my opponent's website, and put together some information and nice words for me to at least start from. I looked at some of the data sets that you had, and for somebody who's never done this before, I think that's wonderful to have that available to them.”

#7: Heather Herrygers

Office: School board

Location: Grand Haven, Michigan

Election Result: Won with 9,382 votes

Key to Success: Reputation in the community

Heather Herrygers pulled off an impressive victory in a three-way race for school board in Grand Haven, Michigan. Herrygers earned 48.4% of the vote, while her two opponents earned 31.1% and 20.5% of the vote, respectively.

Herrygers said that her reputation as a truly non-partisan candidate was part of her success.

“I would say the number-one factor is that I have a reputation of not being on either side, which is helpful in a traditionally Republican community that doesn't really want to lean so far right,” Herrygers said. “Then number two, the two candidates I was running against did not have a great reputation in terms of their opinion of public schools, so I think they split their vote.”

Working with a political associate from GoodParty.org also helped Herrygers hone her campaign strategy in the three-way race.

“[GoodParty.org] helped me prioritize things and make budget decisions about how much to spend, where to spend it, and when to spend it,” she said.

#8: Jonathan Cooper

Office: Justice of the Peace

Location: North Las Vegas Township, Nevada

Election Result: Won with 69,751 votes

Key to Success: Community support and endorsements 

In North Las Vegas, Jonathan Cooper won his judicial election in a landslide victory. Cooper came away with 74.3% of the vote — almost three times as many votes as his opponent earned.

Cooper said that the support and endorsements he received from GoodParty.org, the Forward Party, and local progressive organizations contributed to his success. GoodParty.org was especially influential in helping him learn how to run for judge.

“GoodParty.org was a large part of how I learned to run. I went to a lot of the webinars, where you guys talked about endorsements, social media presence, and things like that that I had absolutely had no idea about,” Cooper said. “I didn't have a campaign manager, couldn't afford one, so that was definitely a really big tool. I didn't know anything about canvassing until I went to one of your calls.”

#9: Marcus Ellison

Office: School board

Location: South Bend, Indiana

Election Result: Won with 13,440 votes

Key to Success: Targeted data, yard signs, and text messaging

Marcus Ellison won a spot on South Bend, Indiana’s school board after competing in a five-way race for two seats. Ellison earned 17.9% of the vote — more than any other candidate besides incumbent Jeanette McCullough, who will be joining him on the board.

Ellison used a variety of campaign tools from GoodParty.org to help win his election, including voter data and access to low-cost yard signs.

“When I first signed up for [GoodParty.org Pro], I said, ‘You know, it's only $10 a month. That's not that much. Let's see what I can get out of it.’ But it wound up being a lot more helpful and cost-effective than I ever thought it would be,” Ellison said. “It would have been a completely different type of campaign and a very different result if I hadn't had access to all of the tools and the data and the help that I was able to receive.”

Ellison said his creative approach to designing yard signs especially helped his campaign stand out.

“You can get lost in all of the presidential, Congressional, and senate elections, with all of their signs, mailers, and all of those kinds of things. Some of what I did was try to come up with a unique yard sign which I thought would help me stand out a lot. I got a lot of positive feedback about that,” he said.

#10: Eric Schwartz

Office: School board

Location: Tewksbury, New Jersey

Election Result: Won with 1,319 votes

Key to Success: Strong community network

In another competitive school board race, Eric Schwartz pulled ahead in a lineup of seven candidates. Schwartz came in second place, earning a school board seat along with two other candidates. He earned 17.9% of the vote.

Schwartz said that determining his voter outreach strategy was a major obstacle early in the campaign.

“The first thing that I wanted to figure out was the different groups of people and how I needed to reach them — coordinating whether or not I need to go to local community events, how many yard signs I should put out, and what the voter lists were and getting contact information for those people. That was probably the biggest challenge that I had, which you guys definitely solved because you made that very easy for me,” Schwartz said.

GoodParty.org provided Schwartz with voter data and enabled him to send strategic text messages to voters. He also used GoodParty.org’s online campaign tracker to track his progress in reaching voters.

“The biggest thing was getting the contact user data, sectioning it off based on the different segments of where I needed to do marketing, and then tracking my progress throughout the campaign,” Schwartz said. “I thought that was very helpful, structuring it in such a way that it was almost like a checkbox, like, ‘Okay, I did this. Let's mark it off and track it.’ That was helpful so I didn't have to do that on my own.”

Powerful Tools and Insights for Your Political Campaign

No matter where you’re running for office, choosing the right strategies and tools can make or break your campaign. 

From Nevada to New Jersey, all of the candidates mentioned above used GoodParty.org’s free and low-cost campaign tools to power their campaigns to victory. And they’re not the only ones. In 2024, 3,444 candidates empowered by GoodParty.org won their elections across the country.

Want to get access to powerful tools for your campaign? Get a free demo here, and explore all the benefits of choosing GoodParty.org for your run for office.

Some of our top-rated benefits include:

• SMS/MMS messaging support

• Access to easy-to-use voter data

• One-on-one support from a campaign expert

• Online tracking tools to keep your campaign efforts on course

• Free trainings and webinars on campaign strategy, fundraising, and more

• AI-powered tools to create canvassing scripts, website outlines, and more

• Connection to a nationwide community of local candidates and volunteers