UP FOR
DEBATE

Key questions about the
Labor Party's
electoral strategy

What is our ultimate goal in running candidates for office?

Are we running as a way to increase visibility of the Labor Party but not necessarily to win?

Are we running as a way to show Democrats that they are not the only party in town?

Are we running with the full intention of winning office?

What do we aim to achieve in actually electing a Labor Party candidate to office?

Is the primary aim to use the office as a bully pulpit for the Labor Party's far-reaching program?

Is the primary aim to help bring about the modest reforms that are generally possible in today's political climate?

Is the primary aim to build a bloc of Labor Party elected officials who can eventually enact reforms that are less modest?

What degree of union support should a Labor Party candidate have?

Can the Labor Party candidate afford to have significant union opposition?

How can the Labor Party structure its electoral campaigns so that we mobilize people both during and after the campaign?

How can we ensure that even as the Labor Party runs electoral campaigns, we continue to build a grassroots organization that can demand more far-reaching change?

How can the Labor Party hold its elected officials accountable to our position?

Should the Labor Party endorse candidates who are running on other slates, or allow other parties to endorse our candidates?

What are the pros and cons of running candidates at the federal, state, or local level? What are the pros and cons of running candidates for executive office versus legislative office?

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