The Campaignguy Blog

DO NOT SKIP THIS BLOG POST! Not every voter is "your" voter. The key to winning an election is knowing who the voters are in your district, understanding your natural "base" of supporters, who thew "swing" voters are (and what issues they care about), and the cohort of voters who will likely not support you (for reasons of policy, party, etc.).  Why is targeting important? I have consulted on numerous political campaigns over the years.  There are four limited resources on a campaign: time, information, money and people.  The first is time.  Time is a resource that cannot be created.  You know exactly how many seconds there are between this moment and the close of polls on election day.  Throughout all of the campaigns I have managed or consulted, I have met many eager candidates who pledged that they will knock on every door in the district.   Well, unless the district is very tiny, or you have superhuman powers akin to Santa Claus, the likelihoo...

A campaign message isn’t just a slogan—it’s the core of your campaign. It defines why you’re running and why voters should support you. If you want to win, you need a compelling, memorable message that resonates with voters. What Makes a Great Campaign Message? It’s Simple & Clear: Your message should be easy to understand in one sentence. It’s Relevant: It should address the issues that matter most to voters. It’s Memorable: A strong message sticks with people long after they hear it. It Sets You Apart: It should highlight what makes you the best candidate. Let's look at the 2024 race for President of the United States in which the 45th President Donald Trump ran against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The video below, titled "Together" is an excellent example of President Trump's message.  It is clear, hopeful and has a message that was consistent throughout his entire campaign: As a contrast, the Harris campaign, that had the apparent advantage o...

  When I ran my first political campaign in 1995, I did not know what I was doing. I was a 20 year-old college student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  I had excellent organizational skills, I was a former boy scout, I was in Navy ROTC, and I was in College Republicans.  I was also a lifeguard at the university's aquatic center.  None of these things prepared me for running a countywide race. I did not even think of looking for a book about how to run a political campaign.  I thought that type of text would not exist. So everything I began learning about how to run a political campaign, I had to learn organically - either by creating my own system or learning from others who had run campaigns, before. Fortunately, I was able to work with a campaign professional who had run federal and state political races.  I took classes about campaigning that were offered in my state, and I began to learn how campaigns were structured and how successful people won t...