Campaign Basics

You’ve decided you’re ready to run for office, and now it’s time to build a winning political campaign budget. Where do you begin? 

Okay, road warriors, as travel becomes increasingly stressful, here is a list of campaign travel tips and our favorite travel accessories as we are on the road again for campaigns and advocacy work.

Precise Democratic direct mail targeting is available for most campaigns. With the advent of modern voter file platforms by folks like Catalist, NGP VAN, Targetsmart, NationBuilder, and L2, campaigns now have direct access to the same voter data and models to make strategic targeting decisions. Campaign staff can see the same scores, turnout models, and targeting tools that are used by the professionals.

But all of these scores and numbers can feel intimidating if you’re new to voter data. If this is your first time digging in, here are some practical tips for effective Democratic direct mail targeting.

A campaign job is a great way to gain political experience and responsibility quickly; however, not all campaign jobs are the same, and being a staffer is hard work. Whether you are looking at a long-term career in politics, using it as a stop on the way to grad school, looking for more meaningful work, or other paths, becoming a campaign staffer can be an important steppingstone. Below are some core choices folks make in the world of campaign jobs.

Reviewing your tools on a yearly basis can help with organizational clarity and costs. Looking at all your subscriptions and choosing based on your needs can yield strategic clarity. 

Over the years we have developed a list of The Campaign Workshop’s core values that align both with the company culture we want to foster and the staff members we want to attract.

As a campaign strategy firm specializing in political and advocacy advertising, it is challenging to keep strategy as a primary consideration in any campaign. Various concerns, such as creativity and budget, can distract and even overshadow the pursuit of long-term and short-term strategic goals. Campaign tactics should complement good strategy and not impede it. Having clearly defined strategic targets can make a big difference.

One of my favorite books is The Score Takes Care of Itself. If you have not read this book, give it a read; it’s a great resource on strategy an applicable to politics and organizing many ways. Whether you work for an advocacy organization, a political group, or a candidate campaign, you work on a team with many moving parts. It is impossible to manage all those parts alone. By defining clear goals with measurable outcomes, you can set the path for victory and measure all aspects of the campaign on whether they are on the right track to success.

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.

Campaign unionization, is it right for your campaign? It seem obvious that Democrats should be supportive of campaign unionization… right? Not necessarily.

Campaign fundraising is on everyones mind. A candidate calls a frequent donor and asks for help. The donor asks the candidate, “What is your cash on hand?” The candidate answers, “I have raised a total of $350,000 dollars.” “Great,” the donor responds, “but what is your cash on hand?” “$35,000” says the candidate. “Umm. Let me get back to you,” the donor replies and hangs up. Ouch.