<p>I just have a quick question that I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on. My key interest is being able to make changes through the political system in the US, I want to be a politician. I know that many people start out through Law School and get a JD, however is that recommended? I certainly wouldn't mind being a lawyer and working my way from there, however I am concerned that I would be wasting my time. For example, if my end goal was to be a member of congress, should I spend the time and money on that degree? Or are there better ways to do it? Thanks.</p>
<p>Spend your time on political campaigns. Don’t bother with law school.</p>
<p>Here is the answer that no one is expecting: depends on the area of the country you are in, and the side of the political aisle you are on. Last first: as a very general matter, it seems as if Democrats like electing lawyers (they know what they are doing with the law!), but Republicans prefer small business owners, doctors, nurses, etc (they know what it takes to run a business!). </p>
<p>Also, it really does depend on the area of the country you are in. Look at the resumes of your current elected officials and see what path they’ve taken. </p>
<p>Now, that’s just answering your question (sort of). What I will also add is that most of getting elected to Congress, as opposed to your state Senate, is sheer luck: you have to be in the right place, at the right time, and know people with gobs of money. Or know gobs of people with small amounts of money. If you run for Congress, you’ll have to raise in the range of a million dollars per election cycle, usually have very strong ties to the area (i.e. have grown up there), and either be running for an open seat or run against a very unpopular incumbent. Setting out with a life goal of becoming a Congressman is a lot like having the goal of becoming an astronaut.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the replies. Do you think you could explain how becoming a state Senator is different? And yes, I know, it is rather unlikely to come to reality, but my main purpose is to have the influence in being able to change the political system more than it is to simply become a Congressman. I just figured that becoming a Congressman seemed like the highest position that would be able to do that.</p>
<p>Zonova: I suggest you read the Senators’ biographies, and research the biographies of the Congressmen for your state. Obviously, wealth helps so that you can network, obtain political party support and the necessary connections in your local jurisdiction, and show you have the funding for campaigns. Prepare for a life in public, which means never doing anything embarrassing. Pick your family members and future spouse carefully. Go to church, donate to the right charities, and drive American cars. Be an activist in your party. Military service is a big plus - voters respect it. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that being a politician doesn’t pay as well as private practice, working in industry or owning your own business. Hopefully you won’t have J.D. loans to pay off, kids who have their own college bills or a job that doesn’t let you take off time for campaigning. Of course, if you’re wealthy enough you get to be a policy-maker from behind the scenes, and can influence the hired help in Congress. </p>
<p>Seriously, being a politician isn’t a major. IMO, you might as well say that your career goal is to be a movie Star or the CEO of a Fortune 500. Good luck to you. Someone gets those jobs, right?</p>
<p>
I live in Massachusetts. There are 160 state representatives, 40 state senators, 9 U.S. Congressmen, and 2 U.S. Senators. The math should make it obvious, but let me explain.</p>
<p>Here’s the basics on a state rep campaign: one and a half suburban towns, a campaign budget of about $30,000, about ten thousand households. Any reasonably diligent person with enough connections can door-knock the entire district, raise that money, get a volunteer Treasurer, and meet almost every potential voter. I worked on several of those campaigns, and a lot of them were basic, ordinary people - nurses, lawyers, small business owners, one who skipped college entirely and went into masonry - with good connections in the community. Some of our state reps are in their twenties. Some people knocked off long-term incumbents without much trouble. </p>
<p>State senate is a bit different: it’s a bigger area, the incumbents are harder to knock off, the districts can be more difficult, and you need more money. Personal, community connections don’t go as far. Most state senators were state reps first. </p>
<p>When you get into U.S. Congress, you’re facing an uphill battle. Incumbents can stay in for decades. If the incumbent is a member of your own political party, you’re going to need a really, really good reason to primary him. Look at your own U.S. Congressmen, and figure out how long they’ve all been in there. Ed Markey, who is running for U.S. Senate to take the seat vacated by John Kerry, is a 37-year incumbent. Obviously, there must be talented would-be Democrat congressmen in that district who have been biding their time for ten or twenty or thirty years, waiting for the guy to get up or out so that they can run for the seat. But tough crackers for them - Markey is in.</p>
<p>U.S. Senate? Liz Warren raised over $40 million to unseat Scott Brown. He raised (IIRC) something like $17 million in the 2010 special election, and was mostly able to pull that off because it was a special election: it got enough national attention in an off time that about two hundred thousand people opened up their pocketbooks and gave money to the guy (average donation: $78, IIRC). If you look at the people who have been Senators prior to him, you have uber-rich Teddy Kennedy and married-to-money John Kerry.</p>