The Essential Guide to Being a Political Candidate
By the title, this should be the shortest post in the history of our blog. The typical answer to this question, and the way we teach our candidates, is that the candidate has two main jobs: to raise money and to meet voters. But these tasks are often easier said than done.
Your political candidate likely believes that the message, fundraising, and strategy all come from them. So, not involving the candidate in those decisions can be disastrous for a staffer. The question is not whether they should be involved, but to what degree.
Anyone with campaign experience knows that candidates engage at different levels. While their core responsibilities can be distilled into raising money and meeting voters, the reality is far more complex and nuanced.
Your candidate's background, perspective, and values are the center of the campaign’s message, fundraising, and strategy. But they can’t be the only driving force behind the campaign. While the candidate certainly shouldn't be excluded from strategic and operational decisions, successful campaigns require a delicate balance between the candidate’s involvement and professional campaign management. Let's explore the essential elements of a candidate's role and how to navigate them effectively.
Assessing Viability and Commitment
As a political candidate, you need to spend a ton of time setting up your run. Many folks don't think enough about running for office. Others obsess over so many unknowns that they kill their chances. So, the goal is to be somewhere in the middle. You can check out a lot more info on deciding to run here. The bottom line is that running for office is not for everyone. The candidate needs to decide to run. Not a party or interest group. They need have that fire in the belly and drive to do it. The candidate also needs to have a full understanding of the financial and emotional toll that the campaign will take.
Campaign Infrastructure
Strategy
While professional staff typically draft the campaign plan, the candidate must be actively engaged in the process. Passive agreement isn't enough—the candidate needs to fully understand and embrace the winning strategy so they can help execute it effectively.
Messaging
The candidate must approve and own the campaign's messaging strategy. This includes understanding how to present their vision and a contrast with opponents.
Going Negative?
You need to discuss early on in your campaign how strong your contrast will be. This is not a discussion that you have every day. Have a plan and stick with it. There will be tweaks, but this should be rare. And often, the most contentious part of that will be deciding if the campaign will “go negative” against your opponent.
Campaign Materials and Branding
Advertising Approval
The candidate needs to have systems that are set up so that they can approve campaign materials quickly and efficiently without eating a lot of time. Unless it's a rare circumstance, they should only get one bite at the apple to look at things. If they look at something multiple times, they will wind up editing their own edits.
Logo Design
Keep your campaign logo simple and professional, and don’t spend too much time on it. Do not add animals, stars, or the American flag. Make the campaign logo as simple, clean, and easy to use as possible.
Walk Cards
Your walk card is usually the first piece of written material a campaign produces, and that means it can be a tough process, particularly for a first-time candidate. So, limit the time you spend on it and realize that your walk card is not a mail plan. It is a small piece of lit that introduces you to voters. Think of it as if you were creating a flyer for a business. Would that flyer be nine-point type and 300 words? Nope, and your walk card should not be either.
Yard Signs and Chum
Focus on your budget and how much money you have for your campaign. What is the real cost of a yard sign program? Calculate the true cost before you spend money on yard signs, bumper stickers, lapel stickers, and other collateral materials.
Field Operations
Voter Contact Strategy
Particularly in local races, the candidate will split their time between door knocking and fundraising. Working the doors is critical in races where you can reasonably talk to every voter that you need to win.
Digital Presence and Social Media
Modern campaigns require a strong online presence. Your candidate should have active, professional social media accounts that align with the campaign message, all while remaining authentic and engaging. Give regular updates about campaign activities and policy positions to help build a community connection and demonstrate transparency.
Financial Management
Fundraising Leadership
The candidate is the chief fundraiser. This task cannot be delegated—and don't let anyone tell you differently. But the candidate will need help. They need someone to organize their call time, call sheets, events, and everything else that’s fundraising related.
Budget Oversight
Candidates must understand and approve the budget, which will detail expenses and projected income. Make sure you have regular financial review sessions with your whole team so you are managing your resources responsibly and can maintain campaign momentum.
Cash Flow
Money in and money out is critical to the campaign. The candidate needs to know where the campaign is as far as the cash flow and should receive regular updates.
Scheduling
The candidate needs to agree on a scheduling strategy. That means setting limits on how much time you can allocate to family time, fundraising, door knocking, etc.
Time Management and Work-Life Balance
How do you keep the candidate informed without blowing up their schedule? Here’s what we recommend:
- Have a weekly campaign meeting
- Review a short, written briefing at every meeting
- Have a daily run-down of fundraising and canvass goals vs. actual results
- Be prepared to adjust your plan, but don't make changes daily
- Door knock every day
- Fundraise every day
- Make time for family
- Repeat
Campaign Communication Structure
Establish good information flow with:
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Weekly strategy check-ins
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Regular metric reviews
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Written briefings, when appropriate
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Regular progress updates against measurable goals
Crisis Management and Adaptation
Responding to Challenges
Campaigns rarely go exactly as planned. The candidate must be prepared to:
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Address unexpected issues quickly and honestly
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Adjust strategy when necessary
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Maintain messaging discipline, even when it's hard
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Keep staff morale up during challenging periods
Success Metrics and Evaluation
The best-run campaigns track progress through:
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Voter contact numbers
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Fundraising dollars
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Volunteer recruitment
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Media coverage
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Digital engagement metrics
Remember that running for office is a marathon, not a sprint. Success means balancing multiple priorities while maintaining focus on the ultimate goal—winning on Election Day.
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