“Do what it takes” sounds like “sell out.”
“Do what it takes” can mean almost anything to anybody, and has both positive and negative connotations.
The key is that if you don’t convince a majority of the voters to support you, you won’t win the election.
It’s hard work convincing people that you are the person they should vote for, and you have to be able and willing to do that hard work. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to do it.