A political campaign is a series of strategies and tactics that are designed to reach and communicate with voters in order to convince them that a candidate should be elected to a public office. Candidates must decide on the ideas they want to share and develop a message that is compelling enough to attract support. The way in which they reach, communicate, and persuade voters has changed significantly over time, due to changes in the tools available to them and in the ways that voters interact with candidates.
Campaigns can be as simple as a paper campaign, in which a candidate files the necessary paperwork to appear on the ballot, or as elaborate as a presidential run. Even a small, local campaign may require extensive resources and funding. Some campaigns may have a paid staff, while others are entirely volunteer-based.
Generally speaking, campaign jobs offer the best opportunities to gain experience in politics for aspiring politicians or policy-influencers. Most positions are deeply rooted in the communities they operate in, and offer an insider’s view into how political support for specific policies is gained, managed, and lost. However, there is little space for substantive policy work, and the jack-of-all-trades roles that dominate many campaigns can be demanding, exhausting, and stressful. This is why it’s important for new graduates to consider their career stage carefully before accepting a job with a candidate. Taking a job with a losing candidate, for example, can actually be more valuable over the long-term than having a junior position on a winning campaign.