Questions for Candidates

Written by: Randall Leurquin on Apr 12, 2006 11:32 PM EDT

Things to think about as you're reading the questions and providing feedback

1. This list is not complete, please add questions you think could provide insight into a candidate.
2. This list of questions is not intended to be sent out prior to a candidates presentation, but asked, in person, after his/her presentation.
3. As I came up with this starter list of questions, my goal was to keep the questions as open-ended as possible. I feel each of us has our own issues and each of us will be looking for particular answers to particular questions. Given that, in addition to the questions we choose to ask as a group, should we also have an individual question/answer period after candidate presentations?
4. These questions should be directed at helping us decide whether we choose to endorse and/or adopt the candidate.

Here's the starter list (presented in no particular order)

1. Prior to deciding to run (or being first elected to your current office) describe your involvement in politics?
2. Did you have any mentors (and/or heros) in the political world that you look to for guidance? If so, who? Follow-up with: Have you mentored anyone in the same sense?
3. Have you been involved in any advocacy related causes? If so, what causes, what organizations, and how were you involved?
4. Are there any issues that you are particulary close to or have a particular interest in? If so, which ones and why?
5. How did you come to run for office? How did you go from citizen-at-large to thinking about running to actually running? Were you asked to run? If so, by whom? Follow-up with: What do your family, friends and co-workers think about you running for office?
6. Describe how the democratic party is organized in your district. What groups exist? Which of these groups have supported you, and how? Which have not? Do you have any close associtations with any of these groups? Follow-up with: Are any of these groups considered "grass-roots" organizations?
7. Do candidates for your office get "slated" by the party for the primary election? If so, were you slated? Why or why not?
8. Please share your thoughts and any positions you have on these issues:
- A. Iraq
- B. Healthcare
- C. Immigration
- D. Civil Liberties
- E. Safety
- G. Taxes
9. President Bush: Impeach, Censure or Let him be? Why?
10. Please share your thoughts on the financing of political campaigns. Follow-up with: How much have you raised? How many donors? What is your fundraising plan?

It would be great to get as much response from you as we can. As you're thinking about these questions and other questions, think about how much time we would like to allow for the presentation itself, the group questions and individual questions. We will need a sense of this as we schedule candidates to speak. This will let us know how many we can hear from on a given night and we will want to inform the candidates of what to expect.

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Location: Chicago, IL 60640