In the heat of a hard-fought campaign, every day can feel like a battle as you try to define yourself and your agenda against smear campaigns.  It can be jarring to immediately shift gears the moment you are sworn in as a new legislator. Suddenly, you find yourself accountable to all voters, including those who criticized your policies to the media.  Most importantly, you now deliver on your campaign promises, which means you need the right tools to be an effective legislator.

Here are ten key points to keep in mind for an effective start in your legislative career:

1. The Institution Matters More Than Ideology (At First)

Whether your strengths lie in inspiring speeches or policy expertise, even the best policy ideas can fail if you don’t understand committee jurisdictions—where bills are approved or rejected; calendars and deadlines—missing one can kill a bill; chamber rules—including amendments, motions, and discharge procedures; and who controls the decision-making process—chairs, leadership, or staff.  Dedicate significant time and effort during the initial session to understanding procedures and committee dynamics.  Focus on committee participation and being collegial. Watch, listen, and learn more than forcing outcomes.  Over time, your colleagues will respect your quiet competence, which could help you advance legislation more efficiently.

2. Relationships Are a Real Currency 

After a vote, everyone focuses on the raw numbers.  The vote breakdown is impersonal, it follows party lines, and is subject to the capriciousness of political winds.  However, legislatures also run on trust and relationships, not just vote counts.  There is much to be gained from developing good relationships.  Many policy outcomes hinge on small procedural tweaks.  For example, committee chairs control hearings and amendments, leadership staff often shape priorities more than members, veteran members know landmines and shortcuts, and opposition members can quietly kill or save your bill.  All legislatures work differently with different procedures and levels of resources, but a bill’s successful journey through committee and the floor will require many helping hands along the way.  Make an effort to build sincere relationships before you need a favor—even with members you don’t agree with.

3. Staff Are Force Multipliers (Treat Them That Way)

Your effectiveness will depend heavily on legislative aides (who are mainly responsible for tracking bills, drafting, and scheduling), committee staff (who, in some legislatures, are the gatekeepers of analysis and hearings), and nonpartisan research staff (who are there to pull historical data, produce budgetary projections, be custodians of decades of legislative paperwork, help demystify legislative code, and are often trusted voices due to their nonpartisan status).  Try to learn who the “go-to” staffers are for the policy areas you are interested in and respect their expertise.

4. You Can’t Do Everything, so Choose Priorities 

New members often try to do too much.  Balance a few worthwhile priorities that help you keep your policy promises while building and maintaining relationships with colleagues and constituents.  Consider 1-2 policy goals and do your best to advance them.  Support 1-2 district driven issues that demonstrate responsiveness to your community needs.  Choose other bills for strategic support that builds goodwill with your colleagues.  It is better to meaningfully improve one bill or issue than to file a flurry of legislation that goes nowhere.

5. Committee Work Is Where You Actually Matter

Depending on the legislature and political climate, floor votes are sometimes decided in advance.  Committees, therefore, might offer a better chance to affect policy.  In committee, bills are rewritten, de-fanged, or bulked up.  It is a place where side conversations can happen, and compromises can be made.  Those with subject matter expertise have the chance to educate and inform with greater depth and more time.  Always prepare thoroughly for your time in committee.  Try to ask real questions, don’t just give speeches, that produce important information and improve everyone’s understanding of the issue at hand.

6. District Work Will Consume More Time Than You Expect

Never underestimate the range of issues constituents will contact you about.  Big or small, don’t forget that if someone took the time to reach out to your office about it, it is important to them.  You will get questions about obscure agencies and benefits, seemingly petty local disputes and even issues outside state jurisdiction that must be referred to federal officials.  You could spend your whole term trying to deal with such things so solve what you can and explain what you can’t, but always, always follow up.  Your responsiveness will most always be appreciated even if you are unable to resolve the issue.

7. Advocacy Groups Are Allies and Risks

Outside groups can be very helpful in providing research and drafting assistance if you are aware of their angle.  They can also help in mobile support or opposition, but such assistance may create pressure you didn’t anticipate.  Try to be clear about your expectations and don’t let advocacy groups, whether purposefully or inadvertently, announce your position before you may have even decided it.  Let them know that you appreciate their help and will make use of their offered resources but not to interpret that as support for their agenda.  Your personal or official statement should come first or explicitly in concert with theirs (a press release, coalition letter or press conference, for example).

8. Media Is a Tool

Social media is the main source of news for many but remember that other forms of media are still out there and are important too!  Local media is great for direct communication that builds district credibility, while statewide media can attract attention from leadership who are interested in gauging your political currency, for better or worse.  Overall, local and statewide media are a great tool for explaining votes and district priorities and demonstrating your presence in the community.  Social media can broaden your audience, but that might not be helpful on the local level, and remember, social media is forever.

9. You Are Always Being Evaluated

In every interaction and move you make, public and private, leadership, advocates, donors, and colleagues are quietly noting:

• Are you prepared?
• Are you reliable?
• Do you follow through?
• Do you create problems or solve them?

Make consistency and professionalism hallmarks of your tenure.

10. Play the Long Game

Your first year sets your reputation, not your legacy.

Focus on becoming known as serious, prepared, honest, easy to work with and clear about your principles.  That reputation you are creating will determine your future committee assignments, leadership opportunities and in some cases the fate of your legislative priorities.

You may not win every fight in your first year, but if your colleagues want to work with you again the next year, that is its own measure of success.

Written By: Honorable Marilinda Garcia, Capitol Leaders Fellow