Organizing to Win: The Art & Science of Running for Office

Osad

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  Give Them Hope 17.08.2026 9min

  Running for public office is a lesson in listening and understanding those kitchen table conversations: voters’ fears, frustrations, needs and wants, and hopes for their future. Succeeding in public office means you can weave all that together and make government actually work for people, and improve working people’s livelihoods—increasing freedoms and economic opportunity—by making life better. In this thoughtful episode, we will dive into data showing where voters really are these day...
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  Year Round Organizing 17.08.2026 21min

  You’ve been on a journey of running for, and winning, public office. The truth is, voters have been on a journey, too. From awareness about the election, to considerations for the candidates, and processing their beliefs, they made the decision to vote and participate in our democracy. Especially when most are elected for only two years, you’ll find that once you move through your first hundred days with your team, suddenly you are looking at your re-election. No two elections are the same. I...
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  Once a Staffer, Always a Staffer 05.08.2026 13min

  Whether ​y​ou are a volunteer, intern, campaign manager, or a senior employee, the public views us all the same: staff. It’s similar to people not knowing what exactly each level of government does—local, county, state, and federal; official office or the campaign side. It’s as if anyone who does anything with politics works in one large building that has GOVERNMENT written on it, and everyone there is, you guessed it: staff. Titles are a funny thing in politics, but at the end of the day bei...
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  Govern in Prose 05.08.2026 16min

  Campaigning and governing are codependent, and while one needs the other, they are very different efforts. Some people are excellent at campaigning—building coalitions, connecting with voters, and showing a vision for the future—but discover governing is not easy. Others would make a very able elected official but have not found their way out of a campaign successfully.​ Once that campaign concludes and you are elected, you will find you are now in a position to make life better for people in...
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  Election Day 27.07.2026 8min

  We’ve come a long way from that first kitchen table conversation and those summer days of door knocking, securing your party nomination, and managing the chaos through the fall. All of your hard work and months of planning have culminated in this moment: Election Day. In this episode we will review how your team should design election day for the candidate and volunteers, as well as how to hold an election night gathering and preparations for a too-close-to-call race, a loss, and a win....
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  Get Out The Vote 27.07.2026 9min

  It’s time to Get Out The Vote (GOTV), the final mission of your campaign to bring your voters to the polls. Nowadays, you are not building for Election Day, but rather peaking just as early voting begins. Early voting is defined differently in each state, but the goal is to be ready in those final days of the campaign when people start early voting, mail-in voting, submitting overseas military ballots, or sending absentee ballots before Election Day. Depending on your state, you may receive a...
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  Scheduling 101 27.07.2026 9min

  The most precious resource we have in a campaign is time. With each passing day, there is less time to do the work we need to win this election. There are a lot of demands on our time as we juggle schedules for the candidate, campaign manager, and staff. A schedule will show your priorities, and so it’s critical you are making the right decisions as to how you are spending your time, what events you are attending, and the logistics associated with each. In this episode we will cover all...
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  Surprises, Setbacks, and Spin 20.07.2026 19min

  With a fractured media environment, people believe whatever they see while scrolling on their phones must be true as they are surrounded by an ecosystem of messages that match their already held beliefs; an agreeable algorithm. Your online ecosystem will tell you just what you want to hear. How do political campaigns handle this? In this episode, we will talk in-depth about getting ahead of surprises, handling campaign setbacks, dealing with misinformation and disinformation, and monito...
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  Welcome to Headquarters 20.07.2026 6min

  Your campaign headquarters is your home, and you have guests—volunteers—coming over every day, so you need an inviting place where people want to be. Secure a campaign headquarters as a gathering place for staff and volunteers, as well as a visible location to gather in your community. In this episode, we will cover headquarters management, and how to have a volunteer and intern program while matching volunteer interests with the needs of your campaign. Listen to hear how you can have a buzzi...
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  Campaign Management 20.07.2026 13min

  Chaos is defined as disorder, but a good campaign manager will manage political chaos into organization, where everything has a place, everyone has a role, and every day is maximized with the plans for mobilization, money, and message. In this episode, you will learn how to manage the candidate, staff, volunteers, consultants, stakeholders, and projects for a local or state political campaign. A campaign manager is a big role with one goal: win. In this episode we will cover everything you ne...
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  Please Say a Few Words 13.07.2026 11min

  Public speaking tells a story with a beginning, middle, and an end, ultimately asking for action. Good remarks will emphasize what you stand for and remind people who you are as you are running for office. Since you are an authentic candidate running to make things better, you want listeners to conclude that you would be the right person for this position. In this episode we will discuss speech writing, public speaking, and connecting with voters. Learn more about Organizing to Win: The...
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  Communications 24/7 13.07.2026 20min

  You will be discussing your candidacy in various ways every day, whether it’s seeing someone in the market, knocking on a door, or speaking at a forum, and you should bring these conversations back to your central theme, or top-line message. In this episode we will teach you basic communications and cover all the ways a political candidate can talk with voters: TV, radio, online advertising, social media, paid phone calls, text messaging, direct mail, billboards, yard signs, podcasts, emergin...
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  Plan and Budget 13.07.2026 17min

  Raising dollars for your campaign is important, but whats more important is how you are spending each dollar, and at what frequency. You don’t need to be a financial expert to realize that every week you will have money flowing into your campaign, and expenditures going out. All expenses and funds raised should be tracked closely to see how you are doing compared to your goals. In this episode we will discuss how to form a budget, make a fundraising plan and ensure it lasts through the electi...
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  Asking for Money 13.07.2026 13min

  You think you can’t ask someone for money, yet you can ask someone for advice, a favor, even for a vote. The truth is you are starting an enterprise with this political campaign, and you need to have funds to make it operate. Fundraising should start on the day you announce your campaign. Through this entrepreneurial venture of running for office, shift your thinking from asking someone for money to having them invest in this effort. A good fundraising program will raise the funds to compete,...
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  Comfortable Shoes 06.07.2026 19min

  Door knocking is an opportunity for you to look a voter in their eyes and welcome their participation in public policy, and there is no better way than it coming from the candidate at the voter’s doorstep. Once you start door knocking, you will see why this community-building effort can make all the difference in a political campaign. Voters will remember a connection with a candidate, and more than what you said, they will remember how you made them feel. In this episode we will cover ...
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  Reaching Voters 06.07.2026 11min

  Meeting people where they are means speaking to them physically where they are: on a doorstep, at an event, online; and emotionally where they are: their perceptions, feelings, and frustrations. In fact, good campaigning is more listening, and less talking. Before we go out there and meet voters, remember we are in a fast-paced society, and people seem to be getting busier, don’t they? Placing a candidate in front of them—and getting a positive reaction—takes work, but it will make all the di...
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  Universe of Data 06.07.2026 13min

  Investments in technology by national parties have allowed campaigns to access voter databases that provide valuable information. What you do with that data is the science behind your campaign, and it will make all the difference as you keep it up to date. We'll cover what you need to know about forming your universe of voters, and how you can really learn about your district. Don’t assume you know your district simply because you live there. We'll cover the tips you need to know as you set o...
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  Hello, Candidate 29.06.2026 11min

  Running for office is an entrepreneurial effort as you are building an organization from scratch. This requires a vision, human capital, resources, and a goal-oriented plan to meet benchmarks with a timeline. Being a candidate demands being creative, resourceful, disciplined, and motivated to lead through pressures and setbacks. Making your announcement official and establishing your campaign with a strong team—from your kitchen cabinet to staff and volunteers—will set you up for success as t...
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  Visibility is Viability 29.06.2026 9min

  Representative democracy is a bedrock American principle that, when fulfilled, guarantees every person a voice in this citizen government. When you have a diverse array of individuals making decisions about policy impacting families, you create a full view of the community and the needs of its people. Taken together, elected officials from different ideologies and backgrounds will generate more perspectives and ideas, which leads to greater learnings and discourse, whether it’s on a board, to...
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  Decision to Win 29.06.2026 11min

  At this point in your political campaign, you’ve taken inventory of what drives you in this authentic journey to make a positive difference in your district. You have thought about what office you may run for, and know what kind of race it will be. You’ve met the local political party and are thinking about how you will get on the ballot. When you make that decision to run, you’re also making the decision to win. In this episode, we will cover several important exercises you must carry ...