One of the biggest mistakes new advocates make is assuming that legislation moves in a straight line. Draft a bill, find a sponsor, testify, pass it—done. Anyone who has spent time inside a statehouse knows that nothing could be further from the truth. Chapter 8 of Hardball Advocacy: Secrets of the Lobby is about discipline, timing, and strategy. It lays out a practical roadmap for initiating and passing legislation by understanding legislative cycles, aligning your tactics to those cycles, and deliberately building the support structure necessary to win. Legislation is not an event. It is a campaign.
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Every year, organizations walk into the legislative session hoping for success. Only a few walk in prepared. There’s an old saying many advocates know well: “Preparation prevents piss poor performance.” It’s blunt, but it’s true. If you haven’t done the hard work before the gavel drops, you’re not “behind” — you’re done. In today’s political and policy environment, showing up unprepared reduces your chances of success to zero. The good news? Preparation is completely within your control. As you gear up for the upcoming session, here are four critical questions you should be asking yourself — and your team.
Most organizations don’t fail at government relations because they don’t care about public policy. They fail because they treat government relations as an event instead of a system. A successful government relations program is built from many interlocking parts. When even one of those pieces is missing or weak, your odds of success drop fast. When several are missing, the program becomes little more than a “feel-good” exercise that doesn’t move the needle at the Capitol. Below are the most common reasons government relations programs fail – and, just as important, how to start fixing them.
If you’ve ever watched a bill stall for reasons that weren’t obvious on paper—or wondered why a seemingly airtight argument failed to move a single vote—then you already know: success in politics isn’t just about being right. It’s about understanding people, processes, and how they interact in real time, under pressure. Hardball Advocacy: Secrets of the Lobby is my field manual for the real world. It distills four decades in the arena into a practical, repeatable approach you can use to shape outcomes in the political, legislative, and regulatory spaces. Whether you’re an association leader, corporate executive, public-affairs pro, or citizen advocate, the book shows you how to convert strategy into results—ethically, transparently, and effectively
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s already changing the way we communicate, make decisions, and influence public policy. From real-time data analytics to predictive modeling, AI is rapidly becoming an integral part of the modern lobbyist’s toolkit. Yet, amid this technological evolution, one thing remains clear: advocacy is still—and will always be—about people.
Learn how to work effectively with legislators in polarized times. Build trust, stay calm, and advance your cause with Hardball Strategies.
Plan your lobbying strategy for success. Build clear goals, prepare for opposition, and lead every session with confidence.
When the Bill Dies: Lessons from Losing You r Legislation Every lobbyist dreams of the victory photo: the Governor’s signature, the smiling sponsor, the celebratory press release. But if you work in government affairs long enough, you’ll face the other outcome—the day your bill dies. It’s painful. It’s public. And it’s instructive. Why Did It Happen? Bills don’t fail by accident. Sometimes the political winds simply shift—an unexpected budget crunch, a headline that changes the conversation, or a committee chair with a quiet vendetta. More often, however, the loss traces back to something we didn’t do: Stakeholder outreach was too thin. We assumed support instead of confirming it. Messaging wasn’t tight enough. Opponents defined the narrative before we did. Legislator relationships were too shallow. When crunch time came, our “allies” weren’t ready to spend political capital. What We Should Have Done Looking back, it’s easy to see the missed moves: one more coalition call, one more legislative breakfast, one more pre-session meeting to lock in commitments. The truth is, victory rarely hinges on a single hearing; it’s the product of months of groundwork. How It Felt Losing hurts. You invest countless hours mapping votes, preparing testimony, and shepherding stakeholders. When the gavel falls and the bill fails, it feels personal—because it is. You question every step, every decision. And you carry the weight of the client’s disappointment. The Client’s Reaction Most clients understand that politics is a contact sport. Still, they want answers. They ask the hard questions: Why didn’t we know this was coming? Couldn’t we have done more? These conversations are never easy, but they are essential. Transparency builds trust—even in defeat.
