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...

  The First Steps in Running for Office: What You Must Know Deciding to run for office is a big step, but before you announce your candidacy, there are some critical things you need to do. Whether you’re running for city council, state legislature, or Congress, these first steps will set the foundation for your campaign. 1. Know the Legal Requirements Before anything else, make sure you meet the legal qualifications to run. Check: Age and residency requirements Filing deadlines and paperwork Campaign finance laws (even small campaigns have reporting requirements) Professional qualifications for the position (i.e. judges usually have to have a certain level of legal experience and a license to practice law) Your local election office or Secretary of State’s website is a great place to start. The Campaignguy.com web site has a great resource page that directs you to a listing of Secretary of State web sites by state as well as links to help you get a federal campaig...

Anything important requires a plan! Before a pilot flies a plane, he files a flight plan. Before a professor or teacher begins their class, they develop a plan. Every building, from the tallest skyscrapers to the smallest backyard shed, requires a plan. Athletes on a court or a field have a plan for their games, and they practice those plans repeatedly before a match. But many people who want to run for elected political office jump into a campaign without a plan. Why would someone run for office without a plan? A well-organized campaign plan serves as your roadmap to victory. A campaign plan maps out how to use your time. A campaign plan will create a path for raising money, and then how to responsibly spend it. A campaign plan focuses you on paying attention to the most important information available in your political race and how to create a message, what the right message is, and who you need to reach. The PoliticalCampaign Desk Reference by Michael McNamara has...