We are less than two weeks away from Election Day (Tuesday, November 3), and early voting has begun in Georgia and in South Carolina. Given how we have been deluged with commercials and mailers during the past couple of months, it is clear that candidates and parties see this as an important election. While I believe all election years are important, even-year elections, such as 2026, are even more important, particularly at the state and federal level.
In the State of Georgia, all seats in the Georgia General Assembly – 56 State Senate Seats and 180 State House Seats – are up for election every two years. In addition, at the Federal level, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election every even year as well. Also, one-third of the U.S. Senate seats are up for election each even year, while elections for State Governors also happen in even years. The stakes are higher this year in both Georgia and South Carolina, as each has a U.S. Senate seat up for election and both states are electing a new Governor. Finally, we have many important local elections at the municipal and county levels.
The purpose of my column today is not to advocate for any particular party or candidates. While I would not necessarily consider myself completely independent, I do consider myself part of what I call the “Movable Middle.” About two-thirds of the U.S. electorate is firmly entrenched as partisan, approximately evenly split among the Democrat and Republican parties. While many of the remaining third (including me) lean toward one of the parties, they can be “moved” to vote for the other party based on candidate traits and/or policies. So, the purpose of today’s column is to identify the traits and policies of candidates that will move our local communities, states (Georgia and South Carolina), and country forward, particularly with a focus on business (this is a business publication after all!).
I am going to start by discussing the ideal traits of a political candidate who will ultimately be an officeholder. I do not think these traits are directly tied to business, but rather more tied to leadership and acumen. Next, I will focus on preferred policies of candidates. While this will be more focused on policies favorable to business, I believe they are policies that are positive for local communities, states, and the country.
Preferred Traits of Potential Officeholders
I think the preferred traits of potential officeholders sync up very nicely with the preferred traits of business leaders. We long for candidates in all levels of government who have the following sets of traits:
- Core Leadership Traits: These traits include conscientiousness, stability, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity. Conscientiousness captures the strong sense of duty required to follow through on the responsibilities of office, being highly reliable and organized. Stability is the ability to remain calm, composed, and resilient, with the ability to make decisions under pressure. Problem-solving ability and intellectual curiosity capture the mental capacity we require of our leaders to deal with problems and think “outside the box.”
- Ethical/Character Traits: These traits include integrity and honesty, empathy and compassion, and accountability. These are probably the most lacking from elected officials in recent years. Integrity and honesty are self-explanatory in adherence to ethical principles. Empathy and compassion indicate the genuine understanding of the struggles and daily realities of constituents. Most important is accountability, as the willingness to own up to mistakes and answer for policy outcomes.
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Include the ability to articulate complex policies in a simple, understandable way, be receptive to feedback and constructive criticism, and the ability to collaborate with staff and legislative peers to get things done.
Those personal traits are probably both necessary and sufficient conditions to earn my vote. People with those traits will likely lead us in the right direction. However, in addition to these traits, like many of you, I am looking for someone whose policies are pro-business. Being pro-business is not only good for businesses, but good for the economy of the community, state, and country. So, we should look for candidates who will back the following kinds of policies:
- Reduction of Federal Debt and Addressing Entitlement Programs: This is clearly a Federal issue, but the inability to address these issues will keep inflation elevated and interest rates high. Not addressing these issues will stifle business investment and economic growth at the local, state, and federal level.
- Managing Taxes Appropriately: If taxes are going to be lowered (which is good for business), there is also the need to ensure to identify other revenue sources or spending cuts. This is necessary at the state and local levels to balance budgets as legally required and at the federal level not to further exasperate the debt issue.
- Limits on Regulation: Overregulation tends to strangle business. Regulation is necessary, particularly in areas of health and food, but overregulation and compliance requirements tend to hurt businesses.
- Investment in Education/Skillsets (All Levels): Businesses are attracted to locations where there is high availability of quality labor. Investing in the education and training will allow attract more businesses to our area.
If you are part of the “Moveable Middle” or just interested in the overall/business success of your community, state, and country, I hope you find this information helpful as you go to the polls.
