# Politicians who don't get elected **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2010, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163 "2010-11-10T12:55:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/21 "2010-11-11T20:35:49Z")
Mayor of wasilla is a pretty obscure position. then quitting as Gov. makes Palin a short term politician. O’Donnell has been accused of living off her previous campaign funds. She probably has a lot more in her bank account now. Even Fox has no interest in her. Apparently they CAN be embarrassed. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/22 "2010-11-11T21:44:01Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Myself, I was actually wondering about the guys who run only once, and in “lost cause” hopeles races against popular incumbents. > > Like the lawyer who challenged my congressman (who has been in office for decades, and won with about 70% of the vote). Question is what this lawyer tells the PTB at his law practice. Does he tell them “hey this is just a lark to get my name recognition up there and I’ll still be around after the election”? Or does he say “I’m going to probably need to wind down my affairs at this office, since I expect to be going to Washington in a few months”? > > I would have to think that people who run these races convince themselves at some level that they have a realistic chance of winning. And this should complicate their non-political arrangements. I’m figuring Alvin Greene didn’t spend a lot of time shopping for houses in Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/23 "2010-11-11T21:55:45Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I would have to think that people who run these races convince themselves at some level that they have a realistic chance of winning. And this should complicate their non-political arrangements. My wife once ran for councillor in the city we lived in in Australia. She knew she had no chance of being elected – she was second on the party’s ticket, in a ward where only one person from the party could possibly be elected. So, she didn’t quit her day job 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/24 "2010-11-11T22:38:24Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Mayor of wasilla is a pretty obscure position. then quitting as Gov. makes Palin a short term politician. > O’Donnell has been accused of living off her previous campaign funds. She probably has a lot more in her bank account now. > Even Fox has no interest in her. Apparently they CAN be embarrassed. Unlike CNN who hired Client 9 (disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/25 "2010-11-12T03:15:19Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > My wife once ran for councillor in the city we lived in in Australia. She knew she had no chance of being elected – she was second on the party’s ticket, in a ward where only one person from the party could possibly be elected. So, she didn’t quit her day job 🙂 Jeez, why run at all when it’s _actually and legally impossible_ to win? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/26 "2010-11-12T04:00:00Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Myself, I was actually wondering about the guys who run only once, and in “lost cause” hopeles races against popular incumbents. > > Like the lawyer who challenged my congressman (who has been in office for decades, and won with about 70% of the vote). Question is what this lawyer tells the PTB at his law practice. Does he tell them “hey this is just a lark to get my name recognition up there and I’ll still be around after the election”? Or does he say “I’m going to probably need to wind down my affairs at this office, since I expect to be going to Washington in a few months”? > > I would have to think that people who run these races convince themselves at some level that they have a realistic chance of winning. And this should complicate their non-political arrangements. A lot of times those candidates are tight with the party leadership and agree to take one for the team – be the opponent in a hopeless race to keep it from being a springboard for a nutcase like Alvin Greene or Christine O’Donnell who can actually embarass the party in other races. In those cases, being the losing candidate can be good for your day job. If not exactly quid pro quo, at least in terms of goodwill/favors you can call in later. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/27 "2010-11-12T04:13:58Z")
Virtually nobody who runs for office has no other job. You just return to your old job, or get a new job if you quit in order to run. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/28 "2010-11-12T04:48:17Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Jeez, why run at all when it’s _actually and legally impossible_ to win? I suspect that \*\*Giles \*\*meant it was impossible that his wife’s political party would secure a large enough percentage of the vote to get two members elected, rather than it was legally impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/29 "2010-11-12T04:59:44Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > Unlike CNN who hired Client 9 (disgraced New York Governor Eliot Spitzer). Admittedly if Palin had resigned after being caught having sex with callgirls, it would have been a much more interesting story. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/30 "2010-11-12T05:19:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Especially prominent defeated politicians of the President’s own party might be offered an ambassadorship, a Cabinet or sub-Cabinet post, or appointment to one of the many Federal commissions and boards. John Ashcroft became US Attorney General after losing his US Senate seat. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Jeez, why run at all when it’s _actually and legally impossible_ to win? In Australia, there’s single transferable vote. I imagine this was to show that the party had plans for if the electorate suddenly turned their direction, & to look less pathetic than if their list had only one name. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/31 "2010-11-12T13:48:12Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Jeez, why run at all when it’s _actually and legally impossible_ to win? As others have said, it was legally possible for her to win, but politically impossible. The ward elected 3 councillors using PR, and historically the party got about 25% of the vote in local government elections – so one councillor was practically certain to be elected, but a second had a microscopic chance. One reason to run more than one candidate was to get your candidates in a group on the ballot paper, rather than with the miscellaneous category at the end, so even independents ran as teams of two or three. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/32 "2010-11-12T14:04:01Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Jeez, why run at all when it’s _actually and legally impossible_ to win? If the party **Giles** ’ wife was running for won one seat and the guy in the first position hadn’t been able to accept the position, **Giles** ’ wife _would_ have had to leave her day job. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163/33 "2010-11-12T14:51:07Z")
Think Tanks. This is where the party workers hang out when they aren’t in power. Working on policy and strategy until the next election. The actual candidates probably go back to their day jobs in some cases, or linger on getting paid by a think tank or doing speaking engagements if they are well know or influential enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/politicians-who-dont-get-elected/560163.md?page=1)