Jane “Bitzi” Johnson Miller is running for election in Texas and she is considered to be a worthy opponent. Her chances of winning are rather high as she is a republican and is the granddaughter of former governor Joe “Big Daddy” Johnson.
As she was born in Texas and lived all her life there, she is very well aware of the matter of things and political atmosphere that is present in Texas. She is divorced and is a mother of two children. This is an important point because it means that she has great managerial skills since she is able to control and raise two children, being a single parent.
The fact that she had a software company in Dallas in 1993, and was able to raise $2.5 million by selling it to “Dell”, proves that she knows how to organize and develop a company. These skills are very much needed in running Texas and can prove to be extremely beneficial in her campaign. She has shown to be very patriotic and is determined to create best conditions possible for her fellow Americans.
Cultural and Regional Support
Jane Miller will meet different support in parts of Texas according to people’s values and beliefs. From previous elections it is possible to assume that the northern part of Texas will support Jane because their preferences are republican. The southern counties are mostly democratic, so she is bound to meet some opposition there. As the majority of Texas has previously elected republican candidates, there should not be any doubt or worry that she will be successful in her campaign.
The South part borders with Mexico and this can be problematic because the Hispanic population has somewhat shifted their views from republican to democratic (Stiles, 2010). This is due to a more lenient immigration policy that democrats have been offering in the past election campaign. It would prove beneficial for Jane Miller to include a reform or policy change that addresses the issue. If she is able to have the support of people with Mexican background, she will greatly increase her chances of winning the election.
At the same time, it is important she stays true to her republican beliefs and does not get involved in the immigration issue too deep. This could be detrimental to the rest of Texans’ views and they could become disappointed with Miller. She must stay very culture oriented because Americans value their heritage and unique origins. The fact that she has lived in Texas for a long time will help her in determining cultural specifics and traditional preferences.
Demographic Support
The North East part of Texas is most populated, so the amount of votes will greatly exceed those of the South and West. As Texas is a second largest state, the amount of people living in the industrial area is significantly higher (Nagengast, 2009). The determination should focus on communicating to people who want to get involved with the developing regions.
People who are looking for employment could also be targeted, as the mostly populated area of Texas has well established corporations and businesses. Another possible avenue could target construction and western parts of Texas because infrastructure is much needed in some areas and housing can sometimes become problematic, especially in the present economy.
Most likely, white and Hispanic population of Texas will have biggest participation numbers and support. This will be due to the American beliefs in freedom and human rights and Hispanic population is very much interested in the benefits that can be offered for implementation and adaptation, as well as future development within the American society.
Campaign Themes
The campaign will focus on three particular themes—education, employment and development of heritage sites and programs. As Education is one of the key goals of the modern world, the school system, as well as higher educational institutions must be supported.
Primary focus should be on schools, as this is where children will determine their future goals and ambitions. The school system must provide a high variability of courses and information, so that students are able to try different fields and choose one that best suits their talents, skills and interests. As schools have higher stress level because children are younger and are not as determined as older students, teacher could be promised an increase in salary or benefits.
A higher budget could be offered for better equipment and materials. For colleges and universities a better loan system and payoff management could be beneficial for graduates. Contracts with businesses and corporations could present part time employment during studies and right after graduation. The younger generation should be targeted because the future lies with modern technologies and further advances in sciences.
Employment is the second theme of the campaign and is also very important. The target audience for this division should be older population, as people who are newcomers to the country or those who have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis will be looking for employment. Areas with lower social class should be a priority, as people are struggling there and it is often hard to get involved in a certain profession.
Social programs that are linked to businesses could be beneficial, as people will be at least partly employment, with a potential for future hiring. Development and support of heritage sites and programs is the third theme and will target people of all cultural backgrounds. A large portion of society rests on people’s beliefs and traditions and is directly linked to their interests and professions.
When people are involved in something they like doing and which is close to their native background, they will produce higher output. This part of campaign will target all ethnic groups, including Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, African-Americans and any other groups that are present in the region. Local public centers and better funding to social programs will get people involved in their community and strengthen people’s morals.
Win or Lose?
According to the article titled “Texas Governors’ Race Goes National as Parties Eye Long-Term Gains” there is some concern that people might have democratic views. The key to targeting both republicans and democrats is to try and unite the interests. Previous elections have shown that “Perry was leading White by 46 percent to 39 percent, with 8 percent undecided” (Khan par. 2). This proves that people’s views are starting to merge and so, a strategy that can satisfy interests of the two groups will be increasingly successful.
Another article, “Texas governor candidates Bill White, Rick Perry clash over schools” shows that people are very much concerned with the education question (Stutz, 2010). As this is one of the themes that will be a major focus of the campaign, it should yield positive results. A very significant topic is discussed in an article titled “Has a Democrat Got a Chance of Becoming Governor of Texas?” and is very much related to the issue at hand.
According to mentioned statistics, the republicans are in greater lead over democrats and thus, they should be the primary focus of the campaign (Hylton, 2010). People’s views do not change overnight and usually, voters stick to something that has been checked by time and proved to be successful for the majority. Considering all of the above, Jane Miller has a very high chance of winning the election.
Rumors
If there were reports of the opponents’ domestic violence it would be important to examine the circumstances. If they are substantiated and proven, people should know about it. No one has the right to violate rights, freedoms and personal safety of another person. The population of Texas has the right to know such significant information about their candidates, as this can very much reflect in the way they will govern.
If they are aggressive and unable to control their emotions and actions, they can be an unreliable leader who will act on a whim and not in the interests of the public. In case the matter is just a rumor and has no proof, it would be unwise to mention and make an issue at the campaign, as people might think that the candidate is blowing things out of proportion. Such person would be an unwanted governor because they will base their knowledge on every rumor and this will lead to actions based on lies and unvalidated material.
References
Hylton, H. (2010). Has a democrat got a chance of becoming governor of Texas? Web.
Khan, H. (2010). Texas governors’ race goes national as parties eye long-term gains. Web.
Nagengast, C. (2009). Almanac of American demographics. Bloomington, United States: Colin Nagengast.
Stiles, M. (2010). Texas governor’s race maps. Web.
Stutz, T. (2010). Texas governor candidates Bill White, Rick Perry clash over schools. Web.