The Campaign Workshop Blog

Political Yard Signs- The Pros & Cons of Campaign Signs

Political yards signs are everywhere during elections—and we all like them as much as the next political junkie, but very early on we were taught that POLITICAL YARD SIGNS DON’T VOTE. We have heard all of the excuses of why your city is different and unique, and that if you don’t have more campaign yard signs than your opponent, you will lose. Reality check: it has been our experience that this is absolutely not true.  First off, there is no such thing as a cheap yard sign. This might…

Midterm Elections - How Should a Democratic Campaign Plan?

As you plan for midterm elections, especially if you’re progressive democrat, you may not want to leave your house. With all the things going on in the country it may seem like the midterm elections are a forgone conclusion and not in a good way. Historical trends come to a similar conclusion. In this post we will detail the historical trends of midterms, talk about contributing factors, and what Democrats and progressives can do to make a difference in election outcomes this year. What…

Exclusive Interview with Dana Milbank

Dana Milbank is an op-ed columnist for The Washington Post. In addition to writing for The Washington Post, Dana provides political commentary for multiple TV outlets and has authored three books on politics. He just released his most recent book, The Destructionists: The 25-Year Crackup of the Republican Party, where he analyzes Republican efforts to hold on to political power…

Interview with Bob Keefe 

Bob Keefe is the executive director of E2 - a nonpartisan organization which aims to provide business perspectives on environmental issues -  and oversees their work on a national scale. Keefe primarily focuses his attention on the economic benefits of smart environmental policies; the clean energy economy; jobs and related issues. Prior to beginning his work with E2, Keefe spent more than 20 years working as a political, business and environmental journalist. He has co-authored several business related books and…

Exclusive Interview with Nadia Belkin

Nadia Belkin is the founding Executive Director at the Asian American Power Network (AAPN) where she works to help build progressive political power in Asian American communities and across other communities of color. AAPN is a 501(c)(4) organization devoted to increasing voter engagement, addressing Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) racial justice, and moving progressive policies to improve the living standards of folks belonging to the community. Belkin acknowledges the disparities among AAPI…

Exclusive Interview with Christina Daves 

This week, we asked Christina Daves 7 questions about her work. After breaking her foot in 2010, Christina Daves was motivated to launch a successful line of cast accessories titled CastMedic Designs. Following the release of these products, Christina became very popular and won the “Top Inventor” award at the Steve Harvey’s show. Christina had used the majority of her budget on launching CastMedic Designs and thus struggled with advertising and PR activities. Due to this, Christina got into the market…

Gigi Georges Discusses Her New Book Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America

Gigi Georges, a Brooklyn native who now splits her time between New Hampshire and Downeast Maine, wrote her first book after an extensive career in politics, public service, and academia. A former White House special assistant to President Bill Clinton and State Director for Senator Hillary Clinton, Georges has taught political science at Boston College, been a program director at the Harvard Kennedy School, and served as a managing director for…

An Exclusive Interview with Kim Rogers

Kim Rogers is an Executive Director at the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) where she focuses a lot of her attention on electoral politics. The DASS is committed to both electing and protecting Democratic Secretaries of States. Rogers, along with the DASS, recognize the critical role that Secretaries of States play in ensuring voting access despite efforts to restrict it and, ultimately, in protecting American Democracy by protecting the sanctity of the vote. What is so valuable about…

Career Coach Emily Lamia On Finding a Career After Politics 

Career coach Emily Lamia has been helping people grow and develop in their careers for over a decade. She has supported countless people to network more effectively, interview more confidently, and think more strategically about how to get where they want to go. Emily worked on political campaigns, the Democratic National Committee, and was the Executive Director of GAIN before she founded Pivot Journeys in 2016 to provide professionals with the strategies and support that they need…

7 Questions with Josh Greene of The Mather Group

Josh Greene is the CEO of The Mather Group - where he focuses on utilizing Wikipedia, SEO, retargeting and pay-per-click (PPC) as means to improve clients’ online presence and website traffic. Josh worked in corporate marketing before starting the Mather group and has a keen understanding of how SEO and web presence can enhance a brand. This week, we asked Josh 7 questions about his work.  In what cases is it beneficial for a company or organization to have a Wikipedia page? In almost all…

Julie Rodgers and Outlove: A Queer Christian Survival Story

Julie Rodgers is a writer, speaker, and leader in the movement toward full inclusion for LGBTQ people in Christian communities. Rodgers has been featured in Pray Away, a documentary about the “pray the gay away” movement, where she talks about her experience as a survivor of conversion therapy. She played a key role in shutting down Exodus International the largest conversion therapy organization in the world. Rodgers is currently serving as a Teaching Fellow at The Faith and Justice…

Campaign Mistakes: Is Your Political Campaign Headed in the Wrong Direction? 

Can you spot a losing political campaign? People plan and launch political campaigns with the best intentions, but sometimes they get off track. Can you spot mistakes in your campaign? As a trainer and consultant for over - Here are some warning signs to help you spot and course correct a losing political campaign:  23.” It doesn’t matter how district has performed in the past – I am a transformational candidate” You may be a great candidate, with high name…

Delegate Danica Roem serves as delegate for Virginia House District 13. Roem served as the first openly transgender in any U.S. state legislature. With a background in journalism and a passion for improving citizens quality of life, Danica was inspired to help solve the issues which she reported on everyday throughout her journalism career. Danica focuses on local issues in her area such as increasing food accessibility to students, increasing teacher pay, and fixing transportation in District 13. Danica recently released her new book Burn the Page: A…

Media Consolidation Makes It Harder to Localize a Message

During this midterm election season, the media landscape is an important place for campaigns and organizations to look as they plan for the fall.  As we continue to see, all elections in the US have become more and more nationalized. We first wrote about this in 2015 and the trend of national owned media has continued. Since 2005, over 2000 local papers have closed. When…

Supply Chain Problems and Solutions for Nonprofits & Campaigns  

Supply chain issues are real for political campaigns and nonprofit organizations. So, if you are running any kind of campaign in 2022 or 2023 be prepared. The supply chain issues will cause stress when it comes to voter and member outreach in 2022. From labor shortages, shipping delays, paper shortages, envelopes shortages and a host of other supply issues. Supply chain and labor issues will impact all tactics. Don't think this is just a direct mail problem. Digital, phones,…