A political campaign is an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often take place in elections, where voters elect representatives to make laws and endow elected officials with legitimacy. Political campaigns can be focused on legislative or executive office races. Legislative offices usually have more formalized campaign structures and are overseen by campaign committees.
The most high profile political campaigns typically revolve around presidential elections. However, there are thousands of legislative campaigns that go on across the country and the world. These include 435 members of the House of Representatives; 100 members of the Senate; dozens of state governors, senators, judges, and county executives; hundreds of city mayors, councilmembers, auditors, and treasurers; and more.
Campaigns can be successful by clearly communicating their vision, priorities, and platform to potential voters. Effective communication requires practice and thoughtful preparation of key messages. It also requires an ability to engage and connect with a wide variety of people.
In addition to voter targeting and outreach, campaigns must consider how they will manage their resources. Larger campaigns may have staff who are responsible for managing the budget and ensuring that all goals and objectives are met. All campaigns should approach their work with an equity and inclusion lens, assessing how they can incorporate these values into their structure and practices. In addition, they should be prepared to respond quickly to new subjects and issues arising during the twenty-four hour news cycle.