Roles In A Political Campaign

Many political campaigns are long and complex, which is why most candidates work with a team. Here's the break down of each role...

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.