This website provides advice for both campaign managers and candidates.  The posts below focus directly on the goal of winning an election.  Additional posts addressing how to become a campaign manager are also available on the site.

Should you run for office?

Politics can be an honorable profession for those who run for office for the right reasons.  If your motivation is to serve and improve the quality of government, you should definitely consider becoming a candidate.  However, political campaigns can be tough on both candidates and their families.   Before you run, take a look at these two posts to evaluate your readiness to be a candidate.  If you have already decided to run, these posts are still worth a look to help you prepare for the pitfalls you may face during a political campaign.

Making the decision to run part 1 and deciding to run part 2

If you are considering running against an incumbent, there are a few other issues you should consider.

Setting up a political campaign

You will need to decide on a realistic budget for you campaign, but before you do that you will need to fill the very important job of campaign treasurer.  You may sign up a treasurer first or you may want to choose someone to run your campaign.  First, you need to understand  the difference between campaign consultants and campaign managers.

After you have decided whether a campaign manager or consultant will lead your campaign, here are some things you should know about hiring a campaign consultant.  Much of the advice on hiring a consultant will also apply to hiring a professional campaign manager.

If you are not an experienced public speaker, you will want to improve your speech making skills before your campaign starts. And, one other step is necessary before you launch your campaign.  You must set up an effective campaign website.

Political Campaign Polling

If you have the budget, a political campaign poll done by a professional pollster can be a huge help in targeting your voters.   Lots of individuals and companies promote themselves as pollsters.  However, unless you get a very competent pollster, the results of your public opinion poll can actually lead to your campaign making decisions that will hurt your chances.  Here are a few thoughts on how to select a pollster.

Once you complete your poll, it is vital that you know how to use the information you have gained.  Polls do not get you elected.  They are tools that can help your campaign if used properly.  Using a political campaign poll properly takes knowledge and skill.

If you can’t fit a professional public opinion poll into your campaign budget, there are some other methods you can use to help you gauge public opinion in your district.

Campaign Finance

Every campaign needs some money to get the message out to voters.  You have two basic options.  Give your own money to your campaign or raise money from other contributors.  These two articles cover the pluses and minuses of these two fund raising strategies.

Early steps in your political campaign

Your ballot designation is one of the most important choices you will make on your campaign.  The deadlines for making this choice will vary depending on the rules in the location where you are running for office and may come later in your campaign.  However, when you are planning your polling  and putting together campaign advertising, you will want to be consistent in how you list yourself.

You will want to set up your volunteer effort early in your campaign.  It is also worthwhile to buy some campaign signs.  Your supporters won’t really feel like it is a real campaign unless there are some signs.  The amount of your budget that is spent on campaign signs depends on your individual campaign strategy and budget.

Announcing that you are running for office is sometimes considered the first step in a campaign.  However, in a properly run political campaign, the announcement takes place after a great deal of ground work has already been done.

Campaign Advertising

It is extremely important that your campaign advertising be designed to be effective and to give the maximum benefit for every contributor’s dollar you spend.  Many campaigns waste their advertising dollars.  You want  your campaign advertising to win votes.  This article gives some tips for successful campaign advertising.

Most of the posts on this website are tips for people who are running for office or learning to run political campaigns.  However, there are a few posts that contain advice for people who want to prepare to run political campaigns as a career.  There are multiple paths that can lead to a career in politics and different tactics may work well for different people.  The topics that have been covered here are:

• College  training for political campaign managers
• How to use the experience you gain from volunteer work on a campaign to develop a professional political career
• Some shortcuts for those who would like to move quickly from the ranks of campaign volunteers to a position as a campaign manager.

A Career in Politics: Job Security and Job Satisfaction

Some of this information is mentioned in other posts, but just in case you don’t have time to read through everything on this site, I wanted to make a few quick points about the reality of politics as a career choice.  This isn’t to throw cold water on your enthusiasm, but I hope to get you thinking about ways to secure your future if you pursue a political career.

Politics can be a very rewarding career.  You have the opportunity to make positive changes in your community, state and country.  In addition, you meet interesting people, make good contacts  among  leaders in business and government and the things you do at work are actually interesting to a large group of people that goes well beyond your family and co-workers.

However, you need to remember that jobs in politics are typically short term and they can end abruptly if your candidate loses a primary election or has to end an election campaign due to negative publicity or financial problems.   Even if nothing goes wrong, you are likely to be looking for work every year in the best case and two or more times a year in the worst case.

So, it is important to have  a financial safety net.  Regular unemployment is a fact of life for all but the most successful political operatives.  Save your money when you are working or have another profession that you can turn to when there is no political work available.  And, don’t count on getting a job if your candidate is elected.  It may not happen.  Even if he wins there won’t be enough jobs for everyone who helped on the campaign.

With all that said, most of the people I know who have pursued a politics as a way to make a living are glad that they did.  Many move on to other things because they tire of the stress, the travel, the long hours and the inherent instability of the job. However, they don’t regret the time they put into politics.  They may be sorry they lost a few elections, but most think that the job was worth the sacrifices they made to do it.

Camille Paglia is a liberal, a feminist and an atheist, but she has a creative take on the national political scene. Her columns at Salon.com are well worth reading for both conservatives and liberals.

On the other side of the political spectrum, Peggy Noonan is an outspoken Catholic and has generally conservative views.  She was a speechwriter for Ronald Reagan.  However, during the 2008 campaign she angered some conservatives with her columns.  Her writing has a lyrical quality that is rare for a political columnist.  She writes a Friday column for the Wall Street Journal’s  OpinionJournal site.  By the way, the Wall Street Journal is fiddling around with its website, so if that link doesn’t work, try the front page or columnists page for OpinionJournal.

Who does your campaign website speak to?

The key question to ask yourself before you build a campaign website is who you are targeting. There is more than one correct answer to that question.  A political website can target supporters to volunteer, make campaign contributions or find out where the candidate is appearing.  It can also introduce undecided voters to the candidate and serve as a place for the media to find the candidate’s biography and statements on the issues.   Most campaign websites should do all of these in some measure, but balancing these different goals is important.

I have seen some campaign websites that pop up a huge “Volunteer” or “Contribute” page that has to be closed before the rest of the website can even be accessed.  On some campaigns, there is little else on the website.   I think this can irritate the media and undecided voters.  They have made the effort to visit your website and there really isn’t anything worthwhile for them to see. Keep in mind that many of your visitors will be people who are actively seeking information about your campaign.  This gives you an opportunity to persuade  people to vote for you.  You don’t need to be subtle about signing up volunteers or collecting donations, but avoid the totally “in your face” approach to recruiting supporters.   Be sure there is plenty of useful information on your site.

Should you use a volunteer or hire a professional campaign website designer?

Hire experienced professional help with good references for your website design and management if you are planning to collect donations through your political website.  It just isn’t a good idea to have someone learn how to do this on the job. Since website design and management tends to be fairly inexpensive,  I would lean heavily in the direction of hiring an individual or firm with specific experience working on political websites.  However, if you aren’t going to collect money directly through your campaign website,  a knowledgeable and experienced volunteer can probably handle the design and management of a website for a local political campaign.  Keep in mind that your campaign website is an important part of your campaign.  Even a volunteer should have experience in website design and good references.

Domain Names for a Political Campaign

It is important to get a domain name (that’s the politicalcampaignpro.com type name that people use to find your website) that is easy for the voters to remember and easy to find.  I would highly recommend that you get a dot “com” domain name since those are by far the most common and people have a tendency to forget when the extension is different.  I would especially avoid unusual and foreign extensions.

Unfortunately, a lot of the best domain names have been taken.  Any domain registrar will have a place you can input a variety of names and find out if they are available.   The better registrars will also make suggestions for other options if your preferred name is taken.  Adding variations of your last name, first and last name, the office your running for and the community you represent can help you find something that works.  In other words, if “smithforcongress” and “joesmithforcongress” are taken, try “smithfortexas,” “electsmithdistrict23″ or “electjoesmithtocongress.”

Don’t get too cute with domain names.  You want people to take your campaign seriously and you will have to live with the domain name throughout the campaign.  You don’t know what kind of ups and downs you will have.  There may be times that a joking name wouldn’t seem appropriate.  Humor is great in a political campaign and it can work well on a campaign website.  Just don’t use it in the domain name.

You may also want to get additional domain names that speak to a particular issue, or that can be used by specific support groups (like teachersforsmith or firefightersforsmith) or that can be used to tackle your opponent’s record.

I use GoDaddy.com as a domain registrar and I have been happy with their service.  I have never tried their web hosting.  I recommend you do some research to find the best company to host your website. And, keep in mind that if you are planning to use a professional campaign website design service, they may have their own hosting services. However, it might be a good idea to reserve your domain name quickly (regardless of which registrar you use) so that you have the best chance to get the name you want.

If you want to use GoDaddy as a registrar there is an ad on this page that offers you a discount on their domain name registration.  This is an affiliate link.  This site doesn’t supply any other services for GoDaddy.  Please see our About page if you want more information on affiliate ads on this site.

WordPress Political Themes

Many websites are built on the WordPress platform.  One nice thing about WordPress is that you can set up a website with a particular design framework (called a “theme”) and later change the theme while retaining the content you have written.  There can be a few glitches when you change themes, but the process usually works pretty well.

Some WordPress themes are available at no charge while others are sold for a fee.  I located some free political themes here . You can find additional free themes at the WordPress Free Themes Directory .  While this directory doesn’t have a lot of specifically political themes, you should be able to convert many other themes for political use.  You can try various keywords.  Try putting “magazine,” “news,”  “general” and other terms in the search box or just browse through popular themes.

You may find that it is worthwhile to pay for a theme if you find one that meets your needs and has the look you want.  The cost is fairly low compared to the time you can put in adjusting a theme that doesn’t quite fit.  I haven’t used any of the paid political themes, so I can’t recommend them, but I am sure you can find a number of them with an Internet search.

Your Website is Online Political Advertising

Remember that your campaign website is a key part of you advertising strategy.  The thoughts and ideas you share  on your website should be the same as those in your political advertising.

You can always go back and edit the content on the site, but keep in mind that the words and pictures you put on the Internet can still be found in search engine caches and in the hands of political opponents who monitor changes in your site. Don’t ever put content on your website without thinking about it.  You are likely to regret items that are posted in haste.

Is the media interested?

Assuming you are running for an office where there is a reasonable level of interest, it makes sense to invite all the media including print, television, radio and the Internet based media.  However, if you are in an extremely low profile race like a water board or a fire district, you may want to simply send out a press release.  The media outlets that are interested in giving you more than a paragraph will give you a call and you should have answers ready, but there is no need in wasting your time with a media event if the press isn’t going to be there.

Getting your supporters prepared

First off, don’t go to the announcement alone or with just your spouse and campaign manager.  Line up at least 20-30 supporters to join you.  Tell them to be on their best behavior.  They won’t like some of the questions the press asks, but you really don’t want to give the press a story about your volunteers and what they said and did.  You want to keep the coverage focused on your campaign.  Waving campaign signs and cheering you is great.  Anything negative is not so good.  Also, the press is likely to ask a few of your volunteers some questions.  Be sure to give your supporters a few talking points in advance of the event.  If your old grade school teacher is there and wants to say how she always thought you were a great kid, that’s fine.  However, if your old high school buddies want to share stories about how you used to go out in the middle of the night and pull pranks for kicks, that’s not helpful.  Give people some guidance in advance as to what sort of talk is beneficial and what isn’t.

Prepare a short speech

Second, have a good, short speech.  Make the case for your candidacy  in ten minutes or less.  If you can keep the speech to five minutes that’s even better.  A short speech will focus the coverage on your key points. You can hand out some additional information such as a biography and some details on your positions on the issues.  However, keep in mind that the more material you give reporters, the more likely they are to find an angle for their stories that you won’t like.  And, it’s good to have someone introduce you, but avoid people who are likely to go on and on or tell jokes that might backfire.

Prepare for questions

Third, prepare for likely questions.  For example, shortly before one of my candidates made his announcement a book came out by a former insider that criticized a U. S. President of his party.  That could have created an awkward moment. There was a very good chance the press would ask about it because it was a hot issue and they like awkward moments.  We told the candidate to get the book and give it a quick read.  Then, if he was asked about it, we suggested that he just mention that he had read the book and that it didn’t seem all that bad.   We were almost certain that none of the reporters would have actually read the book so they would realize that they might look foolish debating the content with someone who actually had read it.  That’s exactly what happened.  There was one question and no follow up.  It didn’t make any of the press stories.

Explain why you are running

Fourth, be able to clearly explain why you are running.  Sen. Ted Kennedy rather famously didn’t have a clear answer to the question of why he was running for President in an early interview.  Many commentators believe that one question seriously hampered his campaign.  People really want to know your motivation for running.  It can be an issue or issues.  It can be about integrity.  It can be about improving management.  The key thing is that there has to be some reason why people should support you.

Hold a practice press conference

Fifth, hold a practice press conference.  Most local candidates have never been in front of a group of reporters.  Get some politically savvy friends and supporters and tell them to act like reporters.  You want them to be tough on you.  An experienced campaign manager and (if you have one) campaign press person should be especially good at playing reporter.  Try to have this rehearsal at least a few days before the actual announcement to give you time to get up to speed on issues you may not have been prepared to deal with.

Should you have multiple press conferences around your district?

Statewide candidates almost always make a barnstorming tour to announce their candidacy.  If you have a large and diverse district with supporters in all areas, it may make sense for you to do the same.  However, unless you are prepared to put together a first class event with sign waving supporters everywhere you go, I’d suggest that you would be better off having one really top notch announcement.   Don’t spread your resources too thin.  You can always schedule events in those other areas later when you have a particular issue or endorsement you want to highlight. Also, you should always be prepared for telephone interviews that day with reporters who can’t make it to your event.  It doesn’t matter how many places you go, some reporters will want to cover the announcement from their offices.

What if it is a really bad news day?

I know of at least one candidate who planned to announce his candidacy at events all over his district on a day a very, very major news event happened.  He decided to tough it out and continue on with the events.  I think that was a mistake because he got very little publicity and some people even considered having a press event on the day of a major tragedy to be in bad taste. If some huge news event happens the day you plan to announce, you may have a tough call to make.  However,  my advice is to just re-schedule.  The press and your supporters (at least most of them) will understand.

I knew a candidate several elections back who had a doctorate and was a professional numbers-cruncher.  He ran for office and lost the first time out, but he didn’t want the experience to go to waste.  So, he did a statistical analysis of the work  his campaign had made in each precinct and compared it to expectations based on parameters such as voter registration and efforts in similar precincts.  The bottom line of his very detailed analysis was that he gained a significant number of votes in precincts that he personally walked.   His campaign volunteers walked a lot of precincts, but there wasn’t a significant gain in votes in those precincts.  That may have been because the strategy was ineffective or because some of the volunteers were ineffective.  Volunteers who think they are running a door-to-door debating team can sometimes turn off the voters.  So, some volunteers may have gained votes and others may have lost votes.  There is no way to be sure, but the overall volunteer precinct-walking effort was pretty much a wash.

Phoning Voters

Now, the really interesting statistic he came up with was that he actually lost votes in precincts that his campaign phoned.  This confirmed a bias of mine against telephone campaigning.  I personally think more people are annoyed than convinced by unsolicited phone calls.  I guess all the big-time campaign strategists push the phone program, but just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it is a good tactic for your campaign. I hear from people all the time who hate those phone calls. I have a suspicion that one reason the huge phone program is included in all the big money campaigns is that some campaign firms make a lot of money from it.

The only time I think a phone program makes sense is if you need to respond to an attack from your opponent and it is too late to do it any other way.  It also might make sense as a way to remind voters of the election date in a special election where a low turnout is expected.  Otherwise, I think you’re wasting time and/or money with a big phone program, but I know there are others who will disagree.

Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University

However, if you are determined to make politics your career and you have the time and money for a formal education in the subject, there are a few schools that offer specialized degree programs in practical politics.   The Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at The George Washington University in Washington, DC has been training political professionals since 1987.  They offer a Master’s degree with specializations in Political Management, Legislative Affairs and Public Relations.  They also offer shorter certificate programs and programs for international students.  They have recently started an online program which might be a good option for older students who aren’t prepared to pick up and move to attend school.  It is an expensive program.  However, it appears that there is some financial aid available.

Free E-Book

For those who are interested in learning more about possible career paths in various political fields,  GSPM has a free e-book (link to pdf file) available on their web site.  While it promotes their programs, it also has some interesting information for those who are just starting out in politics.

Fordham University Master’s Program

Fordham University in New York has recently created a  Master’s Program in Elections and Campaign Management .   Since it is a newer program there isn’t a lot of information available, but they seem to have high aspirations for the program.  You can look up information on their faculty and their FAQs on their web site.  The good news is that it the program is offered by a university with a very solid reputation.  The bad news is that the only option for financial aid appears to be student loans.  However, if you are in New York or wish to move to New York  it would be worth taking a look at this program.

Sojourner-Douglass College

Sojourner-Douglass College in Baltimore, Maryland offers both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Political Campaign Management. I couldn’t find much detailed information regarding their degree programs in Political Campaign Management.   There is a PDF file of all courses that gives some information on the program (currently pages 47-52 although that could change as the file is updated).   There is also information on the history and educational philosophy of the school on the web site.  If you are interested in pursuing a degree there, you may need to contact the college  for further information on their campaign management program.

University of Utah, Hinkley Institute of Politics

The University of Utah offers a minor in Campaign Management.  Students have opportunities for a wide variety of internships through the Hinkley Institute of Politics.  This might be a good option for someone who doesn’t yet have a degree who wants to explore politics as one possible career option.

American University Campaign Management Institute (Short Term Study)

One other well-known school in Washington DC, American University, has  a Campaign Management Institute that may be the best option for those who don’t want to commit to a full degree program.  They offer two-week workshops which can be taken for academic credit (either graduate or undergraduate) or as non-credit courses.  The non-credit prices are pretty reasonable.  They also offer  some weekend workshops which seem to take place on two Saturdays each.   If you want to get an idea of what the Campaign Management Institute classes are like, there is currently a 2 hour and 45 minute video available on the C-Span web site that shows a morning session from the 2008 seminar.

Other Options

Keep in mind, though, that most people who make their living in politics do not have degrees in Campaign Management. There are many other subjects that can also give you entry level skills for a political career.  Campaigns need help with keeping the books, running computers, creating graphic designs, doing issue and opposition research, doing statistical analysis of voting patterns and polling information and creating all kinds of advertising.  And, a degree in Campaign Management isn’t much of a plus if you end up getting a job outside of politics or government. A degree in another field gives you a lot more options on your career direction.  Many campaign managers burn out, lose too many elections or say one too may stupid things and become less marketable.  Having another career choice to fall back on might be a good idea.

If you are looking for shortcuts, there are a couple of  strategies I have seen work.  Either of these strategies will be much more likely to be effective if you take every opportunity you have to learn more about campaigns.   Closely observe other campaigns, read everything you can on advertising and attend any training sessions that are available to you.

The first shortcut  is to sign on to manage the campaign of a respectable candidate who isn’t expected to win.  This may be a candidate from your political party who is running in a district where the other party has a strong registration advantage.  Your candidate won’t be able to raise a lot of money, but he will need help with the campaign.  You can get hands-on experience in running a campaign and  make good contacts.   You may also have opportunities to attend seminars and conferences put on by your party that are only open to party nominees and their staff.   And, of course, you will be able to list “Campaign Manager” on your political resumé.   You won’t make money running this kind of campaign, but it does provide a great cheap education.

The other possible shortcut is to run for office yourself.  You won’t have  specific experience as a Campaign Manager, but you will learn a lot about campaigning.  If your party has difficulty getting someone to run in a difficult district and you are willing to take on the challenge, you may also make some friends in the party hierarchy.  Just be realistic about your chances and don’t expect much financial help from the party.  You can make a strong positive impression in the political community and also have the same opportunities for making contacts and getting training as a campaign manager would have.   You will meet a lot of people who are very involved in politics as volunteers, donors and political professionals.   Many of these people may either become candidates themselves or have significant input into the hiring decisions of other candidates.  If you handle it well, a hopeless candidacy can lead to a number of different political job opportunities.

In following this path, you basically spend time in an unpaid or poorly paid apprenticeship and learn how campaigns work.  The key factor that will increase your opportunities to learn is your availability to help with any and all projects.  The more productive time you can put in, the more key people you will have a chance to meet and the more you will learn about various areas of the campaign.  Many times interesting jobs just go to whoever is available to take them on.

While availability is important, you need to be very careful that you aren’t one of those volunteers who hangs around the headquarters wasting everyone’s time chatting about politics or annoying people by trying to play the expert.  You probably won’t impress a top level campaign consultant by trying to sound smart about politics.  However, you may be able to get some positive attention if you have  specific knowledge or skills that are helpful to the campaign.

For example, the political consultant or campaign manager really doesn’t want to have you write their radio or television ads.  However, if you can give them some specific input as to events that are happening on your college campus or in your neighborhood that would be appropriate opportunities for the candidate or campaign volunteers to recruit some supporters,  you will make a positive impression.   If you are able to get other volunteers involved in the campaign that is also a huge plus.

If you have lived in a neighborhood for a long time, you may have very valuable information about who the real leaders of the community are.  In many communities, there are leaders who have never held public office who are very effective at persuading people to support a specific candidate.  Often, they are more influential  than the local elected officials.  Most of these people don’t have titles or formal organizations so they are difficult for campaign professionals from outside the area to identify.

If you are a savvy user of social networking sites or someone who can provide tech support for the office computers or just someone who is willing to knock on a lot of doors or answer the phone in a professional-sounding way, you will make a good impression.  Even just showing up on time and being reliable is a major plus.  There are a lot of flaky people in politics.  You don’t want to be mistaken for one of them.

Many volunteers are attracted to major statewide and national campaigns.  And, you may be able to make some good contacts in those campaigns.  However, most of the more significant jobs on major campaigns will be handled by professionals or very experienced volunteers.  On the other hand, local campaigns rarely have as many quality volunteers as they need.  On a local campaign instead of working for the campus coordinator, you can be the campaign’s top operative on the campus. You may have the opportunity to work closely with a professional consultant or even take responsibility for some area of the campaign.  Depending on your area of expertise,  you may have a chance to help with anything from writing press releases to fund raising.

While major state and federal races get the most attention, you may find that it is much easier to break into the inner circle of a less prestigious campaign.   State legislative campaigns and city races are great places to get some experience. If you get to know some of the key people on the campaign you can often get into a position where you will have more of an opportunity to observe the development and implementation of the campaign strategy. And, if your candidate is successful, she may move on to higher office.

If you are a student, make every effort to break out of the campus campaign ghetto and work in the community or at the headquarters of the campaign.  If you are only involved on campus, the people who might hire you in the future won’t know who you are.  Whether you are a student or an older adult, you want to find the people in the campaign who are influential and get yourself into a position where they can see that you are bright and conscientious.  You need to find people you can learn from who can help you move into more important positions in the future.  Campaign managers, consultants, professional media experts and experienced volunteer organizers can all be great mentors.

Consultants offer a range of services at a variety of prices so you need to cover a number of compensation and management issues.   Here are some questions you should ask any consultant you interview. I’ve also added some notes about the questions.

1. What is your background and experience?

Just let the consultant talk.  Any consultant should have a pitch ready and you want to hear it before you start asking questions.

2. What campaigns have you run?

Don’t be overly impressed with big name campaigns.  A consultant who has run campaigns for governor or U.S. Senate probably won’t be directing your campaign for city council.  Most likely, he will sign you up and you will be assigned to a low-level staffer.  In the unlikely event that he really is personally running minor league campaigns, something may have gone seriously wrong with his business or he may have just decided to run lower pressure campaigns closer to home.  You need to find out the reason.

3. What specific role did you play on each campaign?

This one needs to be asked because a lot of people who have experience in other facets of campaign work are trying to transition into consulting.  You may be able to get a good deal with someone who is moving into the consulting field after working in other capacities on campaigns, but you should probably pay less than you would for a more experienced consultant.

4. What campaign did you learn the most from?

If he just turns to bragging about his victories, ask specifically what he has learned from losing campaigns.

5.  How much do you charge and what services will I receive?  Who will be performing the services, you or a member of your staff? How much of your time/your staff’s time can I expect to have on a weekly or monthly basis during the campaign? Do you charge variable hourly rates for different staff members or will I be paying a flat fee for the campaign?

6. What happens to advertising commissions?

Many media and outdoor advertising companies offer commissions to advertising agencies that bring them business.  The commissions are usually based on the cost of the advertising purchased.  In some cases, media companies will mark up the price of the advertising to add the commission.  In others, the commission is a portion of the regular cost of the advertising.  The consultant has the option of counting the agency commissions against the cost of your contract with his firm.  However, in many cases, you will be paying the consultant a set fee and his firm will be making additional money from commissions.  There is nothing inherently wrong with the consultant being paid this way, but he should be up-front with you about the fact that he is receiving payment in addition to the fees you are paying directly to him.  One other concern you should have on this topic is that not all advertising is commissionable.  If your consultant is making additional money from the commissions, he may be tempted to focus more spending on the type of advertising that pays the best commissions rather than the ads that will be most effective for your campaign.  You need to discuss this issue with him.

7. What if I want to fire you?

In some cases candidates and consultants just don’t get along.  In other cases, the consultant may do something that embarrasses the campaign.   And, sometimes the campaign just needs a fall guy.  You need to address what happens if the consultant is terminated under each of these circumstances.

8. What do you know about my district/community?  If the consultant doesn’t seem to know much, ask what he plans to do to get educated about your district.  If he bluffs badly, be careful.  He may also be bluffing about things you don’t know much about.

9. What kind of campaign plan would you anticipate using in a district like this one?  What size budget do you think I will need to implement your plan?

Take notes during the discussion and review key points with any consultant you are considering hiring.  Be sure that any final agreement is in writing.