Money is the Mother’s Milk of Politics. Like it or not, if you want to win, you’ve got to raise at least some money. I’ve yet to meet a candidate who didn’t want to have more money in the bank…but most aren’t comfortable raising big bucks. This week we’re talking to a fundraising veteran who…
Here’s today’s tip: Hire a professional to execute thorough opposition research and a vulnerability study early in the campaign. There are a lot of areas within campaigns where I routinely encourage campaigns to keep things in-house. In a lot of cases, you’re able to save money and achieve an equal or greater quality level in…
Here’s today’s tip: “I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them.” Adlai Stevenson This tongue in cheek quote from Adlai Stevenson perfectly captures the feelings of many candidates. But it also brings into perspective a central question of campaign strategy: “How…
Hans Zeiger left Grad-School to take on a State House incumbent in his home district. His 29-vote win margin set him on a course that now puts him in the center of important debates within the Washington State Senate. Millennials are having a growing impact within state legislatures and Hans joins us today to talk about…
Here’s today’s tip: Every candidate should have daily and weekly goals for fundraising calls and door knocks. What are yours? Galileo, the famous scientist and astronomer once said, “Measure what is measurable and make measurable what is not so.” When we set goals without a plan for easily tracking progress, failure is all but guaranteed.…
Here’s today’s tip: Be accessible. If voters and supporters can’t reach you on the campaign trail, they’ll doubt they will once you’re elected. One of the perennial complaints about elected officials is their lack of accessibility. We talk about them getting caught in a bubble of their own creation or shunning the hoi polloi. If…
Andrew Sorrell won the tightest race in the Alabama State Legislature by starting early and campaigning hard. This interview with Andrew is among our most in-depth on the tactical level decisions that help win campaigns and I had a blast talking with him! Thank you to Campaign Sidekick for supporting this podcast. Sidekick just came off…
Here’s today’s tip: It’s virtually impossible to practice a speech too much. Practice. Practice. Practice. Have you ever heard somebody give a speech and said to yourself, “They really spent too much time practicing that!” I’m fairly confident I can’t answer that question in the affirmative. Recently I had the opportunity to give a high…
Here’s today’s tip: The Candidate sets the tone for their Campaign’s work ethic and motivation. I’m a huge fan of the book Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. If you haven’t read it, you should. One of the central points of the book is how important it is that a leader take ownership…
Canvassing is a huge part of any strong campaign but what makes the difference between a good and bad program? These 19 canvassing tips will make all the difference! I can’t believe we’ve got an entire year of podcasting under our belts! Thank y’all so much for downloading, listening and supporting our work at My Campaign…