It is not over until it is over.

It ain’t over ‘till the fat lady sings.
Yogi Berra

Good question and I’m glad you explained a little bit of your problem as that will help with my answer.
If you believe this to be true, despite your best efforts to get this person nominated, what hardships will this person be going through? Will s/he be going into debt running for office with no chance to win? I think I would tell the person and let them decide how they want to proceed. Of course you will let them know you stand with them no matter the decision.

@chyna I wouldn’t be telling the person running; he’s in it for the long run. I’d be telling my friend who is working for him. I suspect she’s in it for the long run too; she’s a fighter. I just don’t know if it’s information worth passing on.

Official party backing is everything. Just ask Luther Strange. Or Bob Bennett. Or Mike Castle. Or Joe Miller. ~

@janbb Oh, ok. Then I probably would keep it to myself.

Tell her exactly what you heard. Forewarned is forearmed.

If I believed in the candidate I would continue to campaign – and I would not pass on negative rumors.

This is politics. What would have been the motivation for the neighboring Congress person to deliver discouraging news? My guess is that the powers-that-be have asked her to discourage you (“you all”, probably not you personally) in an unofficial way. This is part of how the process works. The message has been delivered and received… and apparently with some success, since you seem to be discouraged.

I’d pass on the news, but more than that “the intelligence”, that now you know who one of your friends… isn’t. (At least in this political sense.)

I always felt that the way the system works is that you support the candidate you like. They may or may not get the nomination, but to give up is to accept what others want to give you without trying. Would I tell my friend? Sure. But I would couch that conversation as being only hearsay and that it isn’t going to change your attitude.

The Congress person said the same thing you were already thinking, and may not have any more information than you did. (unless they presented some additional evidence)

I’d certainly share it with your friend, but also share why it doesn’t really matter unless there’s other evidence.

Even without a nomination, candidates can move the message for their race and the policies of their party.

Candidates that didn’t win the nomination have moved policy more than the supported candidates I’ve followed locally and nationally. Supported candidates stand for what the policy is right now usually, supporting the outliers moves policy in that direction and is important to the process.

If current politics show us anything, it’s that there’s no longer an excuse for not being genuine.

Doesn’t matter if you tell this to her or not as this is common knowledge I guess that he isn’t having official backing. Even if you do since she’s a fighter (as you mentioned) it might encourage her to work even harder!!!

Yes tell them. Here’s why, campaigning costs money. Not only can you save them money but if your candidate is smart, they can meet with the other candidates supporters, or you can, to see what it would take to sway them to your candidate. The only way to win without the right backing is overwhelming public support and media. The reason the ‘right’ support is so important is because many of them have people ready to vote as they are ‘told’. I once told a candidate who didnt play the game correctly that he should be careful on his spending, he didnt believe me and not only lost but spent too much and got humiliated. I felt really bad for him but I was truly trying to help. It’s all a big game but you have to play it or you lose.

I would tell the person. It may cause a change in her strategy, knowing that she has to overcome her own party.

Not telling would be a sin of omission.

@elbanditoroso Yes, I think I will tell her. As i said she is not the candidate but a big supporter of the candidate we both like. I don’t think it’s a big secret anyway but it was hearing it from a local bigwig that was distressing.

I do wonder a bit about telling because he may have thought he was telling me in confidence.

You will notice that coaches typically don’t tell their teams, “we are the best and will will crush them.”

It’s more motivating to say, “of course they’re the favorites and we’re battling against the odds. Winning this would be a big upset, let’s go!”

I see no harm in telling. It is not definite that the candidate won’t get party backing. Also, in the current political climate it can sometimes help to be a non-establishment candidate.

Update: Told me friend about it who was not surprised or discouraged. She will not mention it to the candidate although she said he is aware the party bosses do not like him.