Conviction politics

Conviction politics is the practice of campaigning based on a politician's own fundamental values or ideas rather than attempting to represent an existing consensus or simply take positions that are popular in polls.

Another is that by voicing strong opinions, they push public debate forward and promote a genuine discussion of political issues.

Democratic Party politician and senator Paul Wellstone frequently heard voters tell him: "I don't always agree with you, but I like it that I know where you stand."

[4] Thatcher, like her contemporary Ronald Reagan in the United States, argued that her leadership should be a time for big, bold changes, grounded in the central principles of her ideology.

"[6] Her thinking on the subject was influenced by Keith Joseph, sometimes considered the "intellectual leader" of modern British conservatism,[7] and the man Thatcher called "my closest political friend".

In 2007, the prime minister Gordon Brown announced he too was "a conviction politician" after private talks with Thatcher in a 10 Downing Street visit.

Tom Perriello, a Democratic Party politician and representative from Virginia, explicitly ran his successful campaign based on "conviction politics".