Topic 2: How to Run for President

For this topic, you will take on the role of a candidate for president and think about how to make a successful run for the White House.

Focus Questions:

• How do you run for and win the presidency? Is the way we organize presidential campaigns in the United States good for democracy?

Objectives:

• I will be able to trace the qualifications to run for president and a candidates' road to the White House from announcing their run to election day.

• I will be able to think through how I would staff important roles in my own campaign.

• I will be able to effectively "read" political advertisements and evaluate how political messaging can support or hurt democracy.

Some useful vocabulary:

• Ballot: The sheet of paper on which you vote. The ballot lists all the elections you can vote in and all the candidates for those races.

• Campaign: The organized effort of a particular candidate to win an office.

• General Election: The final election where each party's nominee is on the ballot. The winner is elected president.

• Grassroots: Political strategies trying to get community members excited and involved in a campaign.

• Nominee: A candidate who has been chosen by their political party to run in the general election as the representative of that party.

• Political Advertising: Paid messages on TV or the Internet meant to create support for a given candidate or attack their rivals.

• Primary: The first stage of an election where members of each party vote on which candidate they want to be their party's nominee.