Candidate Screening: Put on your REALTOR® Goggles

Candidate Screening: Put on your REALTOR® Goggles

Perhaps the most exciting and engaging task taken on by the South Carolina REALTORS® (SCR), candidate screening relies on national, state, and local cooperation to identify and support candidates who understand and advance REALTOR® issues in their respective governing bodies. Whether it’s city council or US Congress, we must check our personal politics at the door and examine these candidates solely through our REALTOR® goggles.

What does this all mean? What are REALTOR® Goggles? With the November 2 elections right around the corner, allow me to shine some light on the REALTOR® candidate screening process for all levels of government.

Federal Candidates

For incumbents running for re-election to federal office (US House or Senate), NAR will review their voting record on important REALTOR® issues, and consider other crucial factors such as key committee votes and how accessible the incumbent has been to NAR staff. If NAR believes that the incumbent deserves REALTOR® support, they work with SCR staff and the SC REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) to make a cooperative recommendation for support to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee in Washington, DC.

Unlike incumbents, challengers and candidates for open seat races must be carefully vetted by the SCR Candidate Screening Committee (see State Candidates below for Committee information), and the SC RPAC Trustees. Since these candidates are oftentimes unknown on a state level, SCR asks these candidates to complete the NAR Candidate Questionnaire and submit to a face-to-face interview with the members of the Candidate Screening Committee. SCR then makes a recommendation to the NAR RPAC Trustees, and they have the final say with regard to funding for that candidate.

In either case, a decision to support or oppose a candidate is made with great consideration of important factors: for an incumbent, what is the candidate’s record on REALTOR® issues; and for a challenger, how would they likely vote on real estate issues? The decision-making process is very thorough and driven solely by REALTOR® issues.

State Candidates

The SCR Candidate Screening Committee is made up of 12 members, with at least one representative from each of the seven regions of SCR; 3 members of the Executive Committee, 3 RPAC Trustees, and 3 members of the Legislative Group. The Committee is responsible for evaluating and making recommendations for statewide races. Their recommendations are subject to approval by the SCR Board of Directors.

Races in which the SCR Candidate Screening Committee engages include state constitutional offices such as Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, as well as races for US Congress. The candidates for these offices are invited to appear before the Committee for an interview and to submit a Candidate Questionnaire, which will be made available to the SCR membership. The Candidate Screening Committee uses the information gleaned in the interview, the record of incumbents, the backgrounds of challengers, and an in-depth evaluation of all the available information surrounding the candidates and their races to determine their candidate recommendations.

Once the Committee completes their work, their recommendations are forwarded to the SCR Political Action Committee (RPAC), the SCR Executive Committee and finally to the SCR Board of Directors. By the time a final decision is made on any statewide race, at least three major committees of your organization and the Board of Directors have been fully educated on the merits of the candidate(s) and the possible consequences of their election.

In individual state legislative seats, the SC RPAC Trustees have final authority, but much like the relationship between NAR and SCR, we work with our local associations to make these recommendations a cooperative effort.

In open legislative seats, a local Candidate Screening Committee conducts a formal face-to-face candidate interview with all candidates running in a specific district. Oftentimes, they will have the candidate submit a questionnaire. A local association may or may not request RPAC funds for a candidate. However, all of those funding requests come before the SC RPAC Trustees. More often than not, the Trustees accept the local Board’s recommendation.

With incumbents, it starts with their voting record. If the incumbent has a record of support with SCR, they receive REALTOR® support. If the incumbent’s record is poor, challengers are interviewed for possible support.

Local Races

Each local Board may do it a little differently, but for the most part the process of supporting candidates for local office such as county council, city council or mayor is similar to the federal and state process. If the incumbent has a good record, and the local Board has a formal process, the local Board supports the incumbent. If not, the challengers are vetted and a decision made on the merits of the candidates running. Your local board has the final say for local candidates; these decisions are not vetted at the state level.

The Bottom Line

At each level, the candidates, their records, their responses to REALTOR®-specific questions, and their philosophy and approach to business and real estate issues are key. Candidates who deserve our support often receive it; those who don’t must look elsewhere for support.

In Conclusion

While you may or may not always agree with the recommendations of your Association, the vetting process for candidate selection is thorough and focused on looking at all prospective candidates through REALTOR® Goggles. Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, who support the “REALTOR® Party” are recommended for support. Vote for the candidate of your choice, but factor in the work of your Association when you decide. It’s not an arbitrary process. Your local, state and national REALTORS® Associations care about your ability to succeed in the real estate business, and that’s why they put in the time and effort to offer suggestions on which candidates are the most real estate friendly.