JOHN E. SETTLE JR. EDITOR / PUBLISHER
Mark it down.
Nov. 3 will be a long, long day for local political candidates.
Caddo Clerk of Court Mike Spence says election returns should be complete by 10 p.m. but could be as late as 11 p.m.
Candidates have been living in a tunnel for months focused on their election. As the days go by, the election monster gets bigger and bigger, totally consuming every waking moment.
There are no real answers to the constant mind-bending questions: whom to see, what campaign materials to order, how to raise money, how to sell yourself to the public, and how to make a living during the process.
In the interim, candidates get constant advice from third parties, but very little help. It’s like running a marathon with no nourishment or road map.
When it’s over, there will be no real consolidation unless a victory. All the “attaboys” and consolations will do little to restore the impact of a long grind to a loss.
If a candidate is a run-off, it’s a mixed blessing. Yes, there still is hope of a victory. But there is another month of angy to endure with the dread of a loss on Dec. 5.
It’s a big price to pay running for offce.
Ask anyone who has been a candidate.
And be kind to all who have put themselves out there participating in American democracy.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE October 16 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.