How to woo tech

There is only one arena in American politics today where raising money from some of the country’s wealthiest people is not merely safe, it’s downright cool. As the 2014 election cycle begins to rev, politicians of both parties are salivating to take advantage of the new willingness of the tech community, in California and also Washington state, to play the political game and back up its policy agenda with cold cash.

It’s not just contributions that the officeholders are seeking. Many also are eager for association with an industry that -- while clearly as self-serving about its economic interests as any other -- projects an aura of glamour and new-economy dynamism that the typical Washington pol, to put it mildly, does not enjoy. But raising money from high tech is an art form of its own, requiring special techniques for finding the erogenous zones of rich people who tend to take themselves and their ideas very seriously. Tech leaders see Silicon Valley not just as a special place, but as unique -- almost a nation within a nation that drives innovation, economic growth and the very way Americans live their lives. So capital lawmakers who don’t come prepared risk confirming the typical tech industry view of Washington politicians as clueless buffoons.

Here, based on interviews with tech political players in Washington and the West Coast, is a user’s guide for how candidates can loosen the wallets of technology tycoons.

• Don’t try to score on the first date
• Know your audience
• Work around weakness
• Put Washington on mute
• Find a Sherpa