Campaigns & Elections

12/20/2024

🚀 Save the date: Digital Campaign Summit is on June 11-12, 2025 in Washington, DC, and it’s where our industry’s leading digital strategists converge to set the agenda for the cycle ahead.

What shifts are operatives making after taking on board the lessons of 2024? How will new platforms or advancements in tech shape the coming election cycle? What will the off-year elections reveal about ’26?

A ticket to Digital Campaign Summit gives you access to two full days of high-impact presentations, panels, case studies, peer learning roundtables, and unparalleled opportunities to turn your address book into an invaluable asset.

Register before the January 30th Operative Launch Ticket deadline to save $700!

Get Tickets:

Take your place at Digital Campaign Summit, the place where digital innovation meets political strategy.

12/19/2024

The Early Bird ticket deadline for Political Business Summit is TODAY, December 19th. 🚨

The start of a new year is the ideal time to focus on your political business, especially following a presidential cycle. Whether you’ve just launched, are ready to expand, or need a brand refresh, you should be at the Political Business Summit on January 29th in Washington, DC.

Some of the discussions on tap for next month: Setting off-year business priorities, diversifying services, building your firm’s brand, billing and budgeting, and managing burnout.

Secure your spot by 11:59 PM EST to save 60%.

Get Tickets:

This is more than just a conference. It’s a platform for fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and shaping the future of political business. Grab your seat today!

12/18/2024

A group of practitioners and academics on Wednesday went public with their discontent with a foundational piece of Democrats’ fundraising infrastructure: ActBlue.

ActBlue Taking Heat From Practitioners As Campaign Fundraising Faces Greater Scrutiny

A group of practitioners went public with their discontent with a foundational piece of Democrats’ fundraising infrastructure: ActBlue.

12/16/2024

One of the West Coast’s best known campaign consulting firms is winding down operations. Nicole Derse and Addisu Demissie sent a joint email on Monday informing their list that they planned to “end the regular operations” of their San Francisco-based shop by the end of the month.

50+1 Strategies Set to Close

One of the West Coast’s best known campaign consulting firms is winding down its operations and will close up shop in the new year.

12/16/2024

“For Democrats still licking their wounds after last month’s elections, the truth is that we need to learn to love it,” write Mike Lux and Steven Choi of Democracy Partners in a piece on C&E today. “We ignore, criticize and try to ban TikTok at our peril. Learning to love it and use it well will help Democrats — not only in 2026 and 2028, but in the long run.”

A TikTok Ban Isn't Likely. Here's Why Dems Should Embrace It

For Democrats licking their wounds after last month’s elections, the truth is that we need to learn to love TikTok. Here's why.

12/13/2024

As the calendar turns to 2025, now is the time to focus on your political business. It’s as simple as that. This is why we created the Political Business Summit. On January 29th in DC, we’re bringing together political firm owners and leaders from across the industry for a day focused entirely on making your business better.

A few agenda highlights:
🔎 Navigating the Post-Election Environment: Setting Priorities for Your Political Business in the Off-Year
🚨 Managing Burnout: Best Practices for Creating a Livable Business for Owners and Employees
🚀 From Startup to Powerhouse: Envisioning the Full Life Cycle of Your Business — from Scaling to Exit

Check out the full agenda here: https://hubs.ly/Q02_Gl630

Discounted Early Bird tickets are currently available! Secure your spot by December 19th to save 60%.

Get Tickets:
https://hubs.ly/Q02_Gnss0

Sessions designed to help political business owners, partners, startup founders, and entrepreneurs navigate the dynamic landscape of political campaigns.

12/13/2024

Republican registration efforts in 2024 were so successful that some practitioners on the right couldn’t believe their own polling. “A lot of pollsters got it wrong.”

‘We Didn’t Believe Our Own Polls’: How Republican Registration Surges Shaped the 2024 Election Landscape

Discover the complexities of 2024 election polling. The surge of new Republican voters and support from long-time non-voters shaped the outcomes.

12/13/2024

Morgan Bonwell, founder and CEO of Right Strategies, has a new piece up today detailing how company retreats for campaign shops can be crucial for boosting both business and team morale.

How a Turks & Caicos Retreat Transformed My Team and Boosted Our Business for 2025

Building a successful political business requires valuing your team. Learn how to create a supportive and empowering work environment.

12/13/2024

12/11/2024

“To truly understand the impact of campaign advertising, we need more robust data, clearer metrics, and a commitment to reliable measurements that connect strategies to tangible outcomes.”

Did Trump's Ad Strategy Win the '24 Election?

It's that time of year: election analysis. In the spirit of this period, I'll graciously say that some of these are better than others.

12/11/2024

🎉 Drumroll, please! 🥁 We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2024 CampaignTech Awards! These trailblazers have set the bar high with their innovative strategies and cutting-edge technology.

The CampaignTech Awards by Campaigns & Elections recognize the truly exceptional in the field of political campaign technology, digital strategy, tactics, and techniques across 21 categories.

12/06/2024

Practitioners on both sides woke up on November 6th with the same regret: They wished they’d spent more of their budgets on audio, whether podcast advertising or traditional radio.

One 2024 Regret Shared by Democrat & Republican Operatives

The Biggest Regret of 2024 Campaigns? Not Spending More on Audio. Practitioners from both parties reveal why they’re rethinking podcast and radio strategies for the future.

12/06/2024

"With the 2024 cycle now behind us, it’s tempting to categorize declining trust levels as a political problem and a challenge for candidates and their campaigns. It certainly is. How will political leaders connect with actively distrusting voters?"

Meet the American Super Distrusters

One in four Americans have lost faith in key institutions—from government to media to business. Discover what this means for leaders and society

12/06/2024

⌛️ TODAY, December 6th, is the Early Bird entry deadline for the 2025 Reed Awards! With 25 distinct category groups, there are categories encompassing the vast breadth of political and advocacy specialisms. Here are just a few of the newest categories:

🏆 Best Use of Text for Fundraising
🏆 Best Influencer Partnership
🏆 Media Buying Firm of the Year

Submit your entries by 11:59 PM EST to receive the Early Bird rate.

Enter Now:

The Reed Awards, named after Campaigns & Elections founder Stanley Foster Reed, embody excellence in political campaigning, campaign management, political consulting and political design, grassroots & advocacy.

12/04/2024

Democratic consultants explored ways for Vice President Harris to distance herself from President Biden once she become the party’s White House nominee, but it proved to be a major messaging challenge, according to one of the strategists who worked on the Harris-Walz IE effort.

The Search for Strategic Lessons from 2024

Going forward, Democratic strategists are emphasizing the need to “re-establish ourselves as the part of working people.”

12/03/2024

You won’t want to miss our final panel of the day at tomorrow’s Election Postscript Conference. Enjoy a cold beer as our panelists share the stories behind some of the most compelling ads of 2024 in Postscript Pours: Behind the Ads: Winning Political Creative from the 2024 Election.

See the full agenda at ElectionPostscript.com

12/02/2024

Post-2024, some campaigns are learning that it's not a scarcity of funding that's the problem. It's when that money actually comes into a campaign’s coffers, and how it's allocated that are the more pressing challenges.

The Problem When Ad Budgets Get Too Big

I am a Democratic media consultant, and I find the amount of money being spent in today’s campaigns ludicrous.

12/02/2024

The close margins that decided many targeted races this cycle mean that practitioners on the losing side will have to answer some tough questions. One of those queries, inevitably, will be was their budget spent effectively?

A Post-Election Question for Democrats

The close margins that decided many races this cycle mean that practitioners on the losing side will have to answer some tough questions.