A political campaign is an organized effort to elect candidates for public office or pass ballot initiatives like constitutional amendments, legislative referenda, or local ordinances. Campaigns use paid and volunteer staff to identify, persuade, organize, and mobilize supporters for their candidate or cause.
A key part of a successful campaign is crafting and communicating a message that appeals to voters in the target electoral district. This message usually includes several talking points about policy issues that the candidate wants to advance or oppose. The campaign must ensure that the message is consistent, brief, and simple enough to be understood and remembered by voters. The campaign must also be prepared to respond to attacks from the opposition or questions about their background and policies.
Most campaigns rely on professional paid staff to oversee project management, fundraising, and voter engagement programs. The most common staff roles include a campaign manager or general consultant, finance director or call time manager, and organizing director or volunteer coordinator. Campaign managers are the most senior members of the campaign team and lead the development, implementation, and tracking of strategic goals and a budget for projects.
Political campaigning is often partisan, and the vast majority of paid campaign positions are tied to a specific political party. While there are a few nonpartisan positions, most opportunities require you to affiliate with one of the two major parties in the US. Partisan affiliation has consequences for career advancement and reputational costs if you change parties later (although these costs tend to be low early in your career).
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