Become President of the United States

The path to presidency of the United States is a long and difficult one. It takes a lot of effort, commitment, and dedication, but the results, if you win, are well worth it. If you wish to become president of the United States, read this article.

10 Second Summary

1. Meet the requirements.
2. Register with the Federal Election Commission.
3. Participate in and win the primary elections, caucuses, and delegates.
4. Attend your party's convention and run in the general election.
5. Do well in the debates.
6. Win the presidential election.

Steps

Meeting the Eligibility Requirements

1. Prove you are a natural born US Citizen. This is a constitutional requirement. If you are presently a citizen but you were born in another country, you are not eligible to be president, unless one of your parents was born as an American citizen.
   • Really, you want to be as "American" as possible. Did you grow up in a long cabin playing baseball and eating apple pie? Are there photos of you dressing up as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson for Halloween? Excellent.
2. Turn 35 years old. The constitution also prohibits anyone who is not yet 35 years of age from becoming president.
   • The average age of the man entering the Oval Office for the first time is 55 years old. In case you're curious, he's also married, has children, doesn't have a beard, and has a decent likelihood of being born in Virginia.
3. Live in the United States for at least 14 consecutive years before you run for president. This residency requirement is found in Article II of the Constitution with the other two eligibility requirements.
   • And while you're in the country, don't participate in any rebellions against the state (unless 2/3 of Congress really likes you). And try not to get impeached by the House and then removed from office by the Senate. That's the 14th Amendment and article I of the Constitution, by the way.
4. Get plenty of education. While there are no educational requirements or experience necessary per se, most presidents have had advanced degrees and studied law or business before entering politics. You're best off taking classes in history, sociology, law, economics and international relations.
   • While you're at college, it's a great idea to volunteer on political campaigns (to get an idea of how they operate) and for the community at large. Getting active, involved, and recognized by your community (and as a leader at that) is best done as soon as possible.
   • 31 presidents have had some sort of military experience, but that number is highly skewed to the past -- it's not as common as it once used to be. So while joining the military is an option, it's not a necessity.
5. Seek out a politically-related career. Though this isn't written in the books, generally presidential hopefuls start in the political arena on a much smaller scale. So get involved in your community! Run for mayor, governor, senator, or some other representative of your state. It's the best way to get your name out there.
   • You don't have to do this. You could be some type of community organizer, lawyer, or activist, too. It's just that getting your name in the ring, getting to know people, and getting people to know you is the simplest way to getting your name on the big ticket at the end of it all.
   • The sooner you pick a political party, the better. You'll have a consistent political record, start meeting people that will be totally worth knowing, and be able to develop your reputation from the get-go. It'll be a lot easier to get funding in 15 years when you desperately need it!

Becoming a Candidate for President

1. Talk to your family and supporters. Becoming president includes a grueling campaign where every bit of your personal and professional life will be picked apart by the media and your competitors. You will need support. It'll be tough on you, but it'll also be tough on your family. You'll be flitting to and from during your campaign with very little time for your spouse and children. Is it worth it?
2. Form an exploratory committee. This committee can "test the waters" or determine what your chances are. It's the standard first step to starting out on the presidential path. Appoint a campaign manager to put together this committee for you. This should be someone you know and trust, who has experience with politics, fundraising and campaigns.
   • Utilize your exploratory committee to assess the level of visibility you have in the public (i.e, your chance at succeeding) and recommend campaign strategies, themes, and slogans. The committee should also recruit potential donors, endorsements, staff and volunteers, and write position papers and speeches. If it all goes well, they'll start organizing in the key beginning states (Iowa, New Hampshire, etc.)
3. Register with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Once you begin receiving donations or spending money in excess of $5,000, you must register. While this doesn't mean you're officially running, the FEC basically assumes that you are. You wouldn't be tossing around this kind of money otherwise.
   • Be sure to file a Statement of Candidacy within 15 days of reaching the $5,000 threshold. After that statement is filed, you have 10 days to file a Statement of Organization.
   • You must also report campaign income and expenditures to the FEC on a quarterly basis. By the way, Obama's campaign in 2008 cost $730 million dollars.
4. Declare your candidacy publicly. This is an opportunity to hold a rally for supporters and voters. Most presidential candidates hold a rally in their hometown or some other significant location. So bust out the t-shirts, the buttons, and the bumper stickers. It's campaign time!

Getting Elected President

1. Raise money. Presidential campaigns are expensive. According to the final federal finance report, the campaign cost of the 2012 presidential election tallied out at around $2 BILLION dollars. Billion. So if you can get anywhere near half of that, you're set.
   • Diversify fundraising strategies. You can rely on a political party if you are the chosen candidate of that party. If you face other party members in a primary or you do not belong to a major party (that above figure being why most join one of the two major parties), you will need to raise money from other sources.
   • Raise money from large donors as well as small. In 2012, presidential candidates were attending events that cost donors $1,000 a ticket and appealing for $3 donations online.
2. Appeal to average Americans. To become president, you will need to shake hands, kiss babies, attend small town events and visit factories, veterans, churches, farms and businesses. You'll need to put away those diamond cufflinks of yours and roll up your khakis.
   • Al Gore said he invented the Internet. John Edwards had an affair. Mitt Romney said half of US voters don't pay taxes. That's just three things Americans don't like. Wherever you are -- whether you think you're being recorded or not -- be on your best behavior. The public doesn't easily forget these things.
3. Win primary elections, caucuses and delegates. Each state has a different way of choosing a president -- a caucus, a primary, or some combination of the two. Winning those grants you delegates that choose you to be on the presidential ticket, celebrated at the party's national convention that year.
   • Every state is a bit different, and the party themselves are different as well. Republicans have "pledged" and "un-pledged" delegates; Democrats have "pledged delegates" and "super delegates." Some are a winner-take-all system, while others give you a percentage of delegates to match the percentage of votes you received.
4. Attend your party's convention. Once you emerge as the strongest candidate in your political party, you will hold a convention where all the delegates will pledge their support for your candidacy. It used to be that the convention was actually where the delegates voted, but now there's media coverage where everyone already knows who won, so it's a bit more symbolic. Either way, it's a party in your name.
   • It's one day where each party prefers to concentrate on how awesome they are instead of how terrible the other is. So enjoy the short-lived positivity!
   • This is also where you will declare your running mate. This is pretty big -- if people don't approve of your choice, you could lose votes. So think it through!
5. Run in the general election. This is a narrow field that often pits two major candidates against each other, one from the Republican party and one from the Democratic party. It's about to get real.
   • Enter the race as a third party if you do not have the backing of a major party, but still want to be president. Other parties that support presidential candidates include the Green Party, Natural Law Party and Libertarian Party. Presidential candidates have also run as Independents.
6. Campaign, campaign, campaign. You'll be flying from San Francisco to Chicago to New York City in one day. You'll be exhausted and running on fumes and adrenaline. You'll be shaking hands, smiling, and making speeches like you're some sort of unstoppable robot. And maybe you are!
   • The campaign is generally broken down into three parts: grassroots, on the ground and in the air. Grassroots is what you've already done -- put down your roots, gotten stable; on the ground is what you're doing now -- almost literally hitting the ground (from coast to coast) running; then you'll go in the air -- media frenzy after media frenzy.

Getting to the White House

1. Stick to your views and your promises and stay strong. You've made it this far. Now all you've got to do is be your charismatic self, make sure your speechwriters are on top of their game, and avoid scandals and flip-flopping. Get the word out there about what you believe in and what you want to do for the country. And then stick to it. Keep your image as consistent and clean as possible.
   • Not only will it be your word, but it'll be your image everywhere -- commercials that you've endorsed (including attack ads), YouTube videos, pictures from your past, etc. No matter what gets thrown at you, you gotta take it in stride.
2. Rock the debate. Not only do you have to know your views, you gotta know your opponent's views, too. You gotta speak in a way that is convincing to the general public, simultaneously beefing up your own campaign and deflating the other. And you have to master the body language and tone, too. You took speech in college, right?
   • When JFK stared right into the camera with his tan, young self, sweaty, coming-out-of-the-flu Nixon didn't stand a chance. Charisma will get you a long way here (and for the rest of your life and all of this campaign). If you've gotten this far, you're probably pretty used to the bright lights and constant pressure. But if this takes it to a whole 'other level, as a general rule of thumb: never let 'em see you sweat.
3. Win the presidential election. You will need to do more than win the popular vote, which is the tally of all votes in your favor. You will also need to win the electoral college. 270 votes and you've got it! As the votes roll in on that first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, try not to bite your nails off or pull out your hair. You can sleep when all is said and done.
   • Each state has a certain number of electors based on its size and population. To become president, one candidate must have more electoral votes than the other. In the event of a tie, the House of Representatives will decide the election.
4. Get inaugurated on January 20th. Woohoo! All that work, all that money, all that living out of a suitcase and stress -- it's over! Well, until you have to start solving the world's problems. You get a couple months to recuperate and then that Oval Office is all yours. How are you gonna decorate everything?!
   • When you make it to the white house, nobody wants a president that sees the world in his or her own view, the citizens want their changes not yours. We as people see the flaws in our country and can easily change them. Give the citizens more power! Why do we need a president when you can make your own changes and people can join your movement and if successful, citizens will change it all.

Tips

• Establish yourself as a politician early in your career. Many presidents worked up to the office by serving as governors, senators or congressional representatives.
• Get yourself out there. Make friends with as many people as possible, and it doesn't hurt if they're rich! Remember, you can't pay for your campaign all by yourself!

Sources and Citations

• http://2012election.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004333
• http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/11/exploratory.committees.faq/index.html
• http://www.bloomberg.com/consumer-spending/2012-03-02/the-real-cost-of-a-presidential-campaign.html

See also

• Distribute Leaflets Effectively
• Petition the Australian House of Representatives
• Win a Local Election
• Become a Dictator
• Make a Great Student Council Campaign
• Be a Communist
• Write a Letter to Your United States Senator
• Run for President of the United States
• Become a Politician
• Create a Political Party

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