Local Political Candidate: Do I Need a Campaign Manager?
Gary, a candidate who is running a political campaign for local office in North Carolina, sends Killer Campaigning this question:
Hi Phil, my name is Gary B. and I am a political candidate in a local election in a small city in North Carolina. This is my first time running a political campaign of my own, but I have volunteered for other candidates in local and statewide races.
A friend has offered to be my political campaign manager, and he is very enthusiastic about it. I am skeptical about letting someone else take control of my campaign, though, since I feel that I already know enough about organizing an election effort. What do you think, do I need a campaign manager or should I take him up on his offer?
It’s a good question, Gary, and believe me: plenty of local political candidates would love to have the same problem. When you’re running a campaign for office in smaller cities–whether it’s alderman, city council, town council, auditor, law director or even mayor–it’s often very difficult to find anyone else who is passionate about working on your campaign. Many first-rime candidates for local office are surprised to discover that 99 percent of the leg work has to be done without a single volunteer to lend a hand.
So having a friend who is enthusiastic and excited about helping on your local political campaign is really a great opportunity. Just one hard-working and dedicated volunteer can accomplish an amazing amount of grassroots work for a local candidate, so consider yourself lucky.
Do you need a campaign manager if you are running as a candidate in a local political election campaign? No, probably not: take a look one of our previous posts about campaign managers for more on the topic. If you have already worked as a volunteer in other races and know how to put together a great campaign plan, then an official “campaign manager” isn’t really necessary. In fact, giving someone the title of campaign manager can lead to more harm than good in a local campaign.
A bit of advice, though: if your friend is really enthusiastic about being involved with your campaign, you don’t want to do anything to discourage him from playing an active role. You might want to weigh the pros and cons of naming him campaign manager; if you think that he will lose enthusiasm if you demote him to plain old “volunteer,” then by all means give him the title he wants.
And remember: “campaign manager” isn’t necessarily the only title that you can bestow upon your friend. “Senior adviser,” “campaign consultant” and “campaign chairman” all sound nice, too, and would look great on a political campaign resume for your friend. Good luck with your decision!
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