Judith Kratochvil

how to Help a pro-family candidate

It’s important to protest bad laws, but ultimately, biblical values will only prevail if we put people in office who are willing to uphold them. So one of the most powerful ways Christians can protect this nation is to help candidates who live by godly principles.

Screen the candidate

Determine:

  • Who shares your values by personally interviewing the candidates.
  • Who needs the most help. Federal candidates often have paid political consultants, but most state candidates can’t afford salaried staff–and Christian contenders in particular “don’t have the backing of special interest groups, so volunteers are very important to them,” says Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana legislator who now leads the Family Research Council.

Start with friends

“If you can identify just 20 friends who say, ‘Yes, I commit to vote for so-and-so,’ you have done a tremendous job,” says Richard Ford, president of Heritage Alliance, a political action committee in Dallas.

  • Host a house party for fellow churchgoers to meet the candidate. Just sending the invitations alone is productive, becuase “even if people can’t come, they know that a friend is supporting a particular candidate, and that tends to influence them.
  • Introduce the candidate to your employees and coworkers. While federal (and some state) laws prohibit corporate donations to campaigns, candidates can ask an employer’s permission to talk to employees.
  • Invite the candidate to speak to your civic groups and professional associations. That helps the candidates meet potential donors.

Involve your family

Getting the whole family involved in a campaign is a great way to train children to become the next generation of activists, says Citizen editor Tom Hess. In addition to knocking on doors in their own neighborhoods, families can…

  • Serve as an advance team, arriving early at the candidate’s speaking engagements to help man campaign booths and collect contact information from the crowd. When everybody’s left, your children get a chance to interact with the candidate.
  • Attend community events. At fall festivals or football games, families can greet incoming cars and pass out bumper stickers.