A political campaign is a political effort to elect candidates to public office or to pass ballot initiatives (constitutional amendments, legislative referenda, state laws). In practice, these campaigns involve many people, including supporters who volunteer to help, paid staffers who work on the campaign, and consultants who guide and advise. A key objective of any campaign is to identify, persuade, and mobilize voters to support the candidate or initiative.
While a career in a political campaign may seem like an ideal way to gain professional experience in politics, it’s important to assess your goals and needs before jumping into a campaign. Among other things, you need to decide how much time and travel commitment you can dedicate to the job, and with which political party you want to affiliate (you’ll pay a price in terms of reputation if you switch parties later).
Political campaigns are deeply rooted in their communities; staffers learn to understand and manage political dynamics and develop political instincts that can serve them well in their future careers as policymakers or as influencers working to shape the development of particular policy ideas. In addition, the rigor of the campaign environment can build important skills that are often overlooked in other types of jobs.
Most legislative campaigns are structured and overseen by committees; whereas, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns have more autonomy than congressional races. Some campaigns go uncontested; others are competitive. In contested elections, campaign staffers work hard to secure a seat and win.