A political campaign is a large-scale operation that seeks to elect a candidate to a public office or pass a ballot initiative. There are a number of ways to get involved with a campaign, including volunteer work and paid positions. Whether working on a campaign is right for you depends on your interests, goals, and ability to cope with the demanding nature of this type of job.
Every two years (a campaign cycle), thousands of campaigns are organized nationwide for a variety of different offices and public ballot initiatives. These campaigns range in size from a handful of volunteers to large operations that employ hundreds of paid staffers. During these cycles, many races for elected office are highly competitive. This includes contested races for president and other statewide executive office holders, as well as congressional, state legislative, county supervisor, and district attorney races. Those races often decide the balance of power in government and the outcome of salient policy debates.
During an election year, voters are inundated with political messages on television ads, newspapers, blogs and social network forums. These messages are designed to inform voters of candidates’ positions on issues like the economy, same-sex marriage and war, as well as their perceived personal attributes.
If you want to gain experience in politics, you can get a foot in the door by volunteering for a political candidate or organization. Many entry-level staffers don’t take on this type of work for the immediate monetary rewards; they are looking to expand their networks, build skills and develop a reputation that can lead to future employment in politics-adjacent fields like lobbying, consulting, or issue advocacy, or to run for office themselves in the future.