Roles In A Political Campaign

Many political campaigns are long and complex, which is why most candidates work with a team. 

Interested in helping in the Nashville Metro Council election this year? Here are a few ways you can assist....

Surrogates

• Campaign surrogates represent political candidates. They appear at public events on their behalf and give more personalized attention to voters, especially those from specific demographics.
• Spouses are common surrogates due to their name recognition and ability to advocate for their partners. 
• Politicians still in office can also serve as surrogates, leveraging their profile and popularity to benefit a candidate. In 2018, former Vice President Joe Biden was a high-profile surrogate for Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee.

Finance committee

• Political campaigns rely on fundraising to win elections, hence the importance of a designated committee.
• A campaign finance committee assists candidates in raising more money than they can access from their personal network. 
• Financial committees for smaller campaigns may include a business leader, a politician, someone with fundraising experience, a non-profit professional, and a community member with connections. 
• For a larger campaign, such as a Congressional or Senate race, teams may require national and regional fundraising directors, plus interns and volunteers.

Social media manager

• Social media is a powerful political campaign tool – over 80% of the U.S. population has a social media account, and on average, Americans spend 2 hours on social media daily. 
• A social media manager helps candidates establish an online presence, and connect with voters on various platforms. 
• These managers use their expertise to create targeted advertisements and general posts to promote their candidate's campaign to the right people at the right time.

Fiscal agent 

• A fiscal agent is an organization, such as a bank or trust company, that receives and manages grant funds for a candidate. Their responsibilities include communicating with donors, distributing funds, and keeping records of grants offered, accepted, and disbursed.

Campaign manager

• The campaign manager oversees the daily operations of the campaign. They work closely alongside the candidate and are the main point of contact with them. 
• Campaign managers develop policy positions, communicate with the public, schedule public events, maintain a media presence, and raise funds. They also execute campaign strategy, oversee the budget, and hire and train staff.

Volunteering

• Volunteers dedicate their time and energy to assist candidates in achieving their goal of winning elections. During political campaigns, a wide range of volunteer tasks are available, including phone banking, canvassing, distributing leaflets, and door-knocking. 
• When you volunteer with Good Party, you join a community that's working to support good people running good campaigns to fight for good ideas. Click here to match your skills with volunteer opportunities on promising campaigns in-person or virtually.

If you're interested in exploring if you have what it takes to run for office, check out Good Party Academy! This free program will walk you through the why, how, who, and how much of running your first political campaign.