Let me tell you about a conversation I had recently with a first-time candidate that completely changed how she thought about hiring a campaign manager. She was adamant about finding someone with years of experience running major campaigns, someone who could be both her strategic guru and operational mastermind.
“How much can you pay?” I asked.
“Well… about $2,500 a month.”
And there it was – the reality check that every first-time candidate needs to hear.
Here’s something most consultants won’t tell you: in local races, your campaign manager probably isn’t going to be your strategic mastermind. I learned this lesson watching a school board candidate hire an experienced (and expensive) campaign manager when what she really needed was someone to coordinate volunteers and keep the trains running on time.
Think about Lisa, a city council candidate I worked with last year. She spent weeks searching for the perfect campaign manager with deep political experience. Meanwhile, her most effective volunteer – a former project manager from a tech company – was running circles around everyone else, organizing events and managing schedules like a pro.
Guess who ended up being her campaign manager?
I remember sitting in on interviews with a state house candidate who kept asking potential managers about their messaging strategy and ad buying experience. I finally had to step in.
“Who’s going to make sure the volunteers show up for Saturday’s door-knocking?” I asked.
“Who’s going to coordinate with the printer for yard signs?”
“Who’s going to keep your calendar from becoming a disaster?”
That’s when it clicked: he needed an organizer, not a strategist.
Here’s a success story I love sharing. A county commission candidate hired two people: a young, energetic campaign manager who was brilliant at operations, and an experienced general consultant (that’s where I came in) to handle strategy. The manager executed the day-to-day tasks flawlessly while implementing the broader strategy we developed.
The result? A smooth-running campaign that raised more money and reached more voters than anyone expected. The candidate won by 8 points in a district everyone thought was unwinnable.
I recently watched a candidate make the perfect campaign manager hire, and it wasn’t the person with the most impressive resume. It was the person who:
She’d never worked on a campaign before, but she had run operations for a small business. Six months later, that campaign was a well-oiled machine.
Let’s be honest about something: campaign jobs, especially in local races, are temporary and often don’t pay well. I recently had a candidate ask me, “Why can’t I find an experienced campaign manager for $2,000 a month?”
The answer? Because anyone with serious campaign experience is either:
This isn’t bad news – it just means you need to adjust your expectations and look for different qualities.
The best campaign manager I ever saw was a former elementary school teacher. She had zero political experience, but she:
She ran that campaign like a top-tier operation, and the candidate won handily.
Here’s what I tell every candidate: hire for the job you actually need, not the job you think you should have. Your campaign manager needs to be organized, dedicated, and able to execute plans – not necessarily a political genius.
That’s why the general consultant relationship is so important. Let your consultant handle the high-level strategy while your manager handles the crucial day-to-day operations. It’s a partnership that works.
Let’s Talk About Your Campaign
Every campaign is different, and I’d love to hear about your staffing challenges. Are you looking for a campaign manager? Wondering how to structure your team? Let’s talk about building an organization that fits your needs and budget.
Want to discuss your campaign staffing over coffee (virtual works too!)? Choose a time or reach out at Sean@VOTEGTR.com. I’m always happy to share ideas and help good candidates build effective campaign teams.
