Hard Truths and Sharp Elbows: Advice for GOP Underdogs

Grassroots Candidates: Good Intentions Don’t Buy TV Ads

Let’s get one thing straight: If you're a grassroots candidate running for statewide office and you don't have a fundraising plan, you're not running a campaign—you're hosting a hobby.

That’s not cynicism. That’s veteran political strategist Roger Stone, in a recent sit-down with Sloan Rachmuth on NC Political Tea, laying out a harsh truth: good people with good ideas don’t win races—unless they can pay to tell voters about them.

Stone’s advice should be required reading (or in this case, listening) for every well-meaning patriot thinking of throwing their hat in the ring. Especially now, as North Carolina gears up for what might be the most expensive Senate race in the state’s history. It’s a high-stakes, high-dollar arena. Showing up with just “grassroots energy” is like bringing a kazoo to a gunfight.

“But I’ve got grassroots support!”

Great. So do a lot of candidates. And many of them lose.

Why? Because while you’re knocking on doors and posting Facebook Lives, your opponent is running ads on TV, radio, and cable. They're showing up in mailboxes and inboxes. They're reaching the 75% of GOP primary voters over the age of 60 who aren’t scrolling X or TikTok. And guess what? Most of them aren’t answering the door, either.

Stone nails it: "Most voters will say whatever you want to hear just to make you go away." That’s not engagement. That’s avoidance. And it’s not a substitute for a campaign budget.

Media Isn’t Optional—It’s Oxygen

Every serious campaign needs one thing: the ability to communicate with voters—repeatedly, consistently, and effectively. That means paid media. Not a few memes and a viral tweet, but an actual media plan.

Radio spots. Direct mail. Targeted digital ads. Cable buys. Yes, it's expensive. No, there’s no workaround. You can have the purest MAGA credentials or be the second coming of Ronald Reagan—it doesn’t matter if no one knows who you are.

The worst part? Some candidates have the money—but blow it. Stone cites an example of a well-known name that raised money but spent none of it on actual voter contact. Just door knocking and self-congratulation.

Result? Predictable.

Don't Get Played—Be Ready to Pay (for Attacks)

Here’s another reality check: the minute you become a threat, you will get attacked. If you don’t have funds set aside to respond, you're toast.

Sloan puts it plainly: “Every time they throw mud at you… that’s gonna cost us another $50,000.”

That’s the cost of staying in the fight. Letting an attack go unanswered makes voters assume it's true. That’s human nature. So when the hit piece drops, you don't whine. You respond. You refute. And then—Stone's Rule—you counterattack. Swiftly.

Planning Beats Plans

Of course, the political battlefield is unpredictable. As Stone quotes both Eisenhower and Tyson: plans are nice, but they don’t survive the first punch.

That’s why strategy matters more than slogans. You need to budget not just for your shiny message rollout, but for the mess that comes after your opponent punches first.

Because they will.

Final Word: If You’re Not Fundraising, You’re Not Running

Here’s the blunt bottom line: being the "people’s choice" isn’t enough. In modern politics, the people can’t choose you if they’ve never heard of you.

So before you spend another weekend designing yard signs or holding a town hall in a VFW basement, ask yourself: How are you reaching the voters who aren’t already in the room? And do you have the money to do it again and again?

If not—start there. Or save yourself the heartbreak and stay on the sidelines.

Politics isn’t fair. But it’s predictable