Politics on the fly: Confessions of a hopeful first-timer

I’m about to run for Congress for the very first time, and I feel like I’ve just stepped into a buzzing carnival where flashing lights, cheering crowds and hype men surround me at every turn. Everywhere I look, there’s someone offering “expert” advice on what I should do: how to dress, how to speak, which hands to shake and which groups to charm. It can be dizzying. Part of me wonders if I should just play by the old, time-tested rules and hope they’ll carry me to victory. Another part of me – admittedly the more adventurous side – can’t help being drawn to the trailblazers who once tore up the campaign playbook and started from scratch. Could a bold, offbeat strategy be my ticket to proving that fresh ideas can still capture people’s hearts?

I’m hardly the first candidate to stand at this crossroads. All around the world, there have been politicians who leaped into the unknown, choosing to take unorthodox paths rather than the ones so many of us have been taught to follow. One example that has people buzzing is Nayib Bukele of El Salvador. A few years back, he captured the presidency not by kissing the rings of party bosses, but by charging full-steam ahead on social media. Suddenly, Twitter (now X) – normally a place we mostly associate with memes, celebrity spats and breaking news – was transformed into his campaign command center. He tweeted, people responded, he tweeted some more and soon he was hosting a kind of digital town hall in real time. His approach, to my fresh eyes, might feel like a leap of faith – how could a few hashtags and tweets really topple longstanding political machinery? But it worked. He didn’t just knock politely at the gate; he hopped the fence entirely.

From a newcomer’s perspective, I can see the appeal: you cut through layers of bureaucracy and speak directly to voters. Then again, there’s an inner voice whispering, “Is that reliable? Or are you just chasing a social media fad?” Still, Bukele’s success suggests there’s something potent about forging a direct line to people who are fed up with politics as usual. Behavioral experts often talk about the power of the “illusion of familiarity.” Interacting daily with a candidate on