Politics
What is it really like to run for Congress?
In 2015, Jim Spurlino decided to run for the congressional seat recently vacated by longtime Ohio congressman and Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner. Though he had no political experience, he—like many other Americans—had been a passionate observer of national politics. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a difference.
In 2015, Jim Spurlino decided to run for the congressional seat recently vacated by longtime Ohio congressman John Boehner. Though he had no political experience, he—like many other Americans—had been a passionate observer of national politics. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a difference.
Running as an outsider with a background as a successful owner of a construction materials company, his campaign was a test of the system—to see if a moderate candidate from outside the political establishment could bring fresh thinking to the public conversation.
In the course of a four-month campaign in the Republican primary, he encountered the good, the bad, and the ugly: heartfelt supporters; hardball consultants; endless, mind-numbing fundraising calls; smear campaigns; and even blank manila envelopes with damaging information. In the end, he walked away with 7 percent of the vote and an education in modern American politics.
Losing Our Elections captures what life is really like for political candidates—how and why campaigns are run, the pressures they face, the compromises they make, and the failures of the system—and presents a compelling roadmap for getting our country back on track.
“This timely publication will launch important conversations among the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors about how best to convert the disruptions we face into opportunities by leveraging volunteer talent—a critical renewable resource. Our foundation believes that strategically deployed volunteer energy increases our return on investment with all our grantees.”
—Jane Leighty Justis, president, The Leighty Foundation
“An important guidebook to rethinking volunteer work in the 21st century.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“Transforming Disruption to Impact is a collection of voices that sing a powerful, poignant song: The lyrics tell us that, yes, our world has been dramatically disrupted . . . but we have within our reach the tools, the techniques, the principles, the practices, and the people who will show us how to transform this disruption into something positive and enduring. Service to others is what binds us together as humans; it is what propels us forward, even (perhaps especially) through the darkest times. This book reminds us that our darkest moments can eventually create the brightest light—again, through service to each other and to our communities. This book is what the world needs, precisely when the world needs it.”
—Kristin Clark Taylor, author, editor, and journalist; former White House communications strategist; member of USA TODAY’s original creation and launch team
“The pandemic brought us face-to-face with an inevitable conclusion: volunteer engagement is a vital strategy for organizational sustainability, especially during times of disruption. Spotlighting organizations that had the courage to take novel approaches—engaging community members in innovative ways and delivering on their missions by providing critical new services and scalable solutions to boot—Transforming Disruption to Impact offers inspiration for achieving a deeper, more meaningful impact and the impetus to keep evolving now and during any times of unsettling change.”
—Karen Reid, CVA, CEO, Kaber Communications; leadership team member, The National Alliance for Volunteer Engagement
