The Campaign Workshop Blog, is hosted by The Campaign Workshop - an advocacy and political consulting firm. We write about tactics for advocacy, membership, civic engagement, and progressive politics.  We post weekly, and also publish ebooks, host webinars, and The How to Win a Campaign Podcast. Sign up to learn more.   

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David Pepper

7 Questions with David Pepper

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

David is a lawyer, writer, political activist, former elected official, and adjunct professor. He served as the Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party between 2015 and 2021. David was born and raised in Cincinnati and served on the Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County Commission before being elected chair of the Ohio Democratic Party in 2014.

Midterm Elections

Midterm Elections - How Should a Democratic Campaign Plan?

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

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.

Image of a political yard sign in front of someones yard

Political Yard Signs: All You Need to Know About Campaign Signs

by The Campaign Workshop

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.

Dana Milbank interview

7 Questions with Dana Milbank

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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 by any means necessary.

Bob Keefe

7 Questions with Bob Keefe

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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.

Nadia Belkin

7 Questions with Nadia Belkin

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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.

Christina Daves

7 Questions with Christina Daves

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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.

Gigi Georges

7 Questions with Gigi Georges

by The Campaign Workshop

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 the Glover Park Group.

Kim Rogers

7 Questions with Kim Rogers

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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.

Decide where to go with the help of a career coach

7 Questions with Career Coach Emily Lamia

by The Campaign Workshop

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.

Josh Greene

7 Questions with Josh Greene

by The Campaign Workshop

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.

Julie Rodgers

7 Questions with Julie Rodgers

by The Campaign Workshop

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.

Danica Roem

7 Questions with Delegate Danica Roem

by Elizabeth Rowe (She/Her)

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.

Media Consolidation

Media Consolidation Changed Political Campaigns

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

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.

Supply Chain

Supply Chain Problems for Nonprofits and Political Campaigns

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

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.

close up of someone writing out  a campaign job application

Campaign Job Descriptions: Winning campaign Team = Clear Campaign Roles

Once you’ve decided to run for office, one of the first things you’ll have to do is think about campaign structure. Define your campaign roles— paid and unpaid— and write out campaign job descriptions that will help you build a winning campaign team.

Signature gathering

Why You Should Start Your Signature Gathering Effort Early

by Ben Holse (He/Him)

For groups and organizations that are interested in getting a measure on the ballot, signature gathering can be a costly, time-intensive, and pain-staking affair. You’ll need to raise the money to pay an expensive field consultant to manage the process for you. There’s a steady unease about hitting your numbers, and all of this is compounded with the stress of knowing that the success of your effort hangs in the balance.

Opposition research - green chat bubble with a thumbs down and red chat bubble with a thumbs up

Opposition Research, or How Knowledge is Power

by The Campaign Workshop

You may think opposition research is really only something Independent Expenditures need, but that isn’t the case. Opposition research can serve a purpose on every type of campaign. Although Google searches can provide some insight to an opponent’s background and any news coverage, there are entire political consulting firms that specialize in opposition work.

Political campaign budget: piggy banks from small to large

Political Campaign Budget - The Complete Guide

by Martín Diego Garcia (He/Him)

If there’s one common thread that runs through the progressive movement and Democratic political campaigns, it’s that they are very often operating with a limited budget. This fact makes having a political campaign budget critically important, because you must be strategic with how your resources are spent and get the most out of each dollar.

people sitting and reading newspapers

Political Newsletters Political Consultants Read Before Breakfast

by Joe Fuld (He/Him)

Political news moves at a breakneck pace, and while following along on social media can be a great way to keep up with the latest blips on the screen, we also like to read a handful of political newsletters before stepping into the office. Sometimes even our own.