President Denson joined a News Media & Politics class on Nov. 29 to share his experience in running for state office in Florida in 1994. Photo by Cainon Leeds
By Cainon Leeds
Editor-in-Chief
Robert Denson, president of DMACC, visited the News, Media and Politics class on Thursday, Nov. 29, to discuss his run for state House in Gainesville, Fla., in 1994.
Denson walked into room 115 in a plain suit and round black glasses. He shook hands with the teacher and many of the students and asked for each student’s name, hometown and field of study.
“He seemed respectful to everyone,” commented DMACC student Logan Hassebrock, who was present during Denson’s presentation.
Denson sat down and talked about his experiences running for Florida’s 22nd State House District.
“I didn’t have a primary,” said Denson.
He explained that he ran unopposed to become the Democratic challenger to the Republican incumbent, Robert Casey. He also said that skipping over the primary process had its own consequences down the road.
“Had I had a primary, I probably would have won,” said Denson.
He said that a primary would have boosted his popularity before the general election and gotten his name out to the public. He also noted that he hired the best political consultant in the Gainesville area for his campaign.
“For three years prior to the election, if there was any small group anywhere, it was very likely that I would be there. I started attending city council meetings, school board meetings three years before the election,” said Denson, sharing the long process of obtaining a political reputation.
When it came time for the general election, he said that he and his opponent ran positive races.
“Neither one of us went negative,” said Denson, although he did explain that there was pressure from both sides to release negative ads.
He described Casey, his opponent, as an even match for the office.
Editor-in-Chief
Robert Denson, president of DMACC, visited the News, Media and Politics class on Thursday, Nov. 29, to discuss his run for state House in Gainesville, Fla., in 1994.
Denson walked into room 115 in a plain suit and round black glasses. He shook hands with the teacher and many of the students and asked for each student’s name, hometown and field of study.
“He seemed respectful to everyone,” commented DMACC student Logan Hassebrock, who was present during Denson’s presentation.
Denson sat down and talked about his experiences running for Florida’s 22nd State House District.
“I didn’t have a primary,” said Denson.
He explained that he ran unopposed to become the Democratic challenger to the Republican incumbent, Robert Casey. He also said that skipping over the primary process had its own consequences down the road.
“Had I had a primary, I probably would have won,” said Denson.
He said that a primary would have boosted his popularity before the general election and gotten his name out to the public. He also noted that he hired the best political consultant in the Gainesville area for his campaign.
“For three years prior to the election, if there was any small group anywhere, it was very likely that I would be there. I started attending city council meetings, school board meetings three years before the election,” said Denson, sharing the long process of obtaining a political reputation.
When it came time for the general election, he said that he and his opponent ran positive races.
“Neither one of us went negative,” said Denson, although he did explain that there was pressure from both sides to release negative ads.
He described Casey, his opponent, as an even match for the office.
“I was a Democrat personal injury trial lawyer running against an incumbent Republican family physician. He was probably 10 or 15 years older than me, maybe more than that, a great guy, not right wing or left wing,” said Denson, adding, “He was well liked, but was not very effective. I think everybody would agree that he never could really get anything done, but he was not a bad person.”
Denson also spoke of walking along busy streets and sidewalks with signs and the debates that he had with Casey.
“In Florida, the big deal is standing on the street corners,” he said. “Every day we were on some street corner during the high traffic hours so you get a lot of visibility.”
Hassebrock, who experienced going door-to-door for the Obama campaign this year, said, “It takes a lot of work. It’s definitely not something I’d want to be doing.”
Denson said debates also were important while he was campaigning in Florida.
“We did a lot of debates, which were very interesting. We did not really go into social issues, which kind of surprises me looking back, but we talked about education, we talked about the workforce, environmental issues in Florida are big so we spent a lot of time talking about that,” said Denson.
In the end, Denson estimates that his campaign spent about $250,000 on the race, around $15,000 of which was his own personal money, and that Casey spent about $300,000.
“You invest a heck of a lot of time and money and energy and reputation and everything else into the process,” he explained.
The election results were 20,813 (50.56 percent) votes for Casey and 20,353 (49.44 percent) for Denson.
Although Denson lost the race for Florida’s 22nd State House District, he said that greater opportunities awaited him that he would not have considered had he won the race.
“I’m a firm believer that everything works out for the best and I can look at every time in my life where something that I really wanted that I didn’t get for some reason or another, and I know that had I gotten it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Had I won that race, it’s almost certain that I wouldn’t be president of DMACC or I wouldn’t have been president of Northeast Iowa,” said Denson.
However, Denson said that he would continue to keep his mind open with regards to politics, particularly in his home state of Iowa
“I have not ruled out running for political office here, although I love my job and can’t think of a better way to serve.”
Denson also spoke of walking along busy streets and sidewalks with signs and the debates that he had with Casey.
“In Florida, the big deal is standing on the street corners,” he said. “Every day we were on some street corner during the high traffic hours so you get a lot of visibility.”
Hassebrock, who experienced going door-to-door for the Obama campaign this year, said, “It takes a lot of work. It’s definitely not something I’d want to be doing.”
Denson said debates also were important while he was campaigning in Florida.
“We did a lot of debates, which were very interesting. We did not really go into social issues, which kind of surprises me looking back, but we talked about education, we talked about the workforce, environmental issues in Florida are big so we spent a lot of time talking about that,” said Denson.
In the end, Denson estimates that his campaign spent about $250,000 on the race, around $15,000 of which was his own personal money, and that Casey spent about $300,000.
“You invest a heck of a lot of time and money and energy and reputation and everything else into the process,” he explained.
The election results were 20,813 (50.56 percent) votes for Casey and 20,353 (49.44 percent) for Denson.
Although Denson lost the race for Florida’s 22nd State House District, he said that greater opportunities awaited him that he would not have considered had he won the race.
“I’m a firm believer that everything works out for the best and I can look at every time in my life where something that I really wanted that I didn’t get for some reason or another, and I know that had I gotten it, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Had I won that race, it’s almost certain that I wouldn’t be president of DMACC or I wouldn’t have been president of Northeast Iowa,” said Denson.
However, Denson said that he would continue to keep his mind open with regards to politics, particularly in his home state of Iowa
“I have not ruled out running for political office here, although I love my job and can’t think of a better way to serve.”