The Campaign Workshop Blog

Is it time to fire your political consultant?

It is that time of year when things may not be going the way you want them to. And You blame your self your team and your political consultant. You are behind in the polls. You are not getting press attention. There is not as much money in the bank as you thought. You feel a ton of pressure. Your consultants and your manager are not working as hard as you are. Not enough people know about your campaign. You are not on television yet. Your opponent has more Facebook friends than you do. Your campaign…

7 Questions with the co-founder of Jefferson's List," Dan Siegel

Dan Siegel is the co-founder of "Jefferson's List," a startup that connects candidates with political professionals and makes the hiring process more transparent. Prior to the creation of "Jefferson's List," Siegel opened a consulting firm to bring high-quality management talent to down-ballot races. Dan has run 26 campaigns in six states. He is a member of a number of local and national organizations including New Leaders Council, Leadership Philadelphia, and the Truman National…

Political Candidates Must Learn to Delegate

The process for finding good political candidates doesn’t involve filling out a job application. When a candidate decides to run for office, they may not realize that the time commitment requires hours of work and many more hours in the day. Sadly, the time commitment it takes to be a political candidate is not changing anytime soon. Prioritizing tasks as a candidate, campaign manager, or political campaign staff is critical to running any political campaign.  Delegation might be the scariest part of…

Coalition Building Can Make All The Difference in Your Campaign

Your organization has spotted a need for change, and you are ready to do something about it. Often, the hardest part of what comes next is figuring out how to get started. Do you have enough resources, money and otherwise, to make this happen? Are there people out there who also care about your advocacy ballot issue or candidate, and is there anyone who might be inclined to work against you? How will…

Non-Partisan Elections? No Party, No Ideology? Think Again. 

We work on a lot of down-ballot county and municipal campaigns across the country. Many of these races—including campaigns for judge, sheriff, county executive, school board, city council, and mayor—are non-partisan, meaning candidates do not run with a political party designation. However, don’t let the absence of party labels fool you into thinking you can run a campaign without staking out your ideology. In local non-partisan…

Pick the Right Campaign Tools Check out Joe's Top 10 Campaign Tool Picks of 2018. 

Working on campaigns can be chaotic, which is why it comes as no surprise to us that it can be hard to prioritize your campaign needs. Between meeting your fundraising goals and generating engaging content, you probably have your hands full and are working against the clock. So why not make things easier by taking advantage of all the great campaign tools out there? We know the second challenge then becomes discerning which tools are most reliable. These days,…

What you need in a campaign manager contract... 

So you decided to run for office and you quickly found out that you couldn’t do it alone. You found a jack of all trades to be your campaign manager and everything seems just a bit easier now. As the days get longer and the campaign picks up it’s easy to forget to formalize your campaign manager’s role with a campaign manager contract. Campaigns move quickly and it’s important to get contracts signed and finalized before you’re in the thick of it. A contract ensures that you and your campaign…

People are searching for your campaign, do you have a digital campaign to show them?

From a small, local candidate for city council to a statewide campaign, all political campaigns have a digital presence these days. It’s easy, cheap and one of the best ways to stay engaged with your supporters. Here are five things we think every political campaign should be doing digitally. 1. Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr. All of these are free for you to use, so why not? They are a fun, interactive way to communicate with…

How David Pepper came to write a book that predicted the 2016 election

Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper has worked in Ohio politics for 15 years. He’s run for office statewide in Ohio and served in city and county offices in Cincinnati. And if he isn’t busy enough, David Pepper also authored the fictional book The People’s House, which is the story of an Ohio political reporter who undercovers Russian election meddling in a Congressional district.…

How to Have an Effortless Pre-Election Cycle Vacation 

Practice self-care this pre-election cycle with a vacation! We are officially on the cusp of the 2018 election cycle. Most primaries are either completed or happening in the next few weeks. The warmer weather provides the perfect time to get in a pre-cycle vacation. This list will provide five ways to take self-care and ensure an effortless pre-election cycle vacation: 1. Get Your Mobile Passport Let’s begin with the best part of Mobile Passport, its free!  Mobile Passport is a program of…