Jacob L. Arvey Quotes
You don't win elections on Election Day. You win them by what you do all year round, by the day-to-day good will you generate in each precinct.
Jacob L. Arvey, 1895-1977, Chicago Political Leader (Democrat), Quoted in Henning, The Wit and Wisdom of Politics, Fulcrum, 1989
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
While this is generally true, there have been times where one candidate has been so unattractive, corrupt, or unsavory -- or was closely alighted with such an unpopular figure --that the opponent won without a message just concentrating on the negative aspects of the opponent.
Republican Party primary elections had become very contentious. The radical right and the Tea Party, though a minority of the party, had the power to destroy almost any Republican candidate’s chances. So those Republican political candidates were forced to pander to the extreme right and then try and backtrack to the center for the general election. As a result, few people believed the statements of Republican office seekers as no one knew what they really believed including members of their own party, Bush, no longer running for any political position, found himself with much more credibility and influence in the party than those who were running for office. The problem of appealing to party extremes was not unique to the Republicans at that time, but the degree and extent was unprecedented accounting for the distrust.
