The Two Things That Must Be Right

Political campaigns have a lot of moving parts. But if you want to cut through the complexity and focus on what actually determines whether you win, it comes down to two things: your message and your advertising. Get those two right and you’re 80% of the way to a winning campaign.

Everything else matters — but those two are the foundation.

What Is a Campaign Message?

A campaign message is your answer to the most fundamental question in politics: why are you running, and what are you going to do if you win?

Think of it this way. Imagine a voter sitting across from you, asking five questions. Voters won’t phrase it this way — but if they knew to ask, these are the five things every one of them expects you to answer over the course of a campaign.

1. What makes you qualified?
   What in your background gives you the right to ask for this job?
2. Are your values in sync with mine?
   What are your notions of right and wrong? What do you stand for? What won’t you bend on?
3. What are you going to do for me?
   What will you do for my family, my community, my state? This is the most important question of all.
4. Why should I trust you?
   Is there something about your story, your track record, or your commitment that tells me you’ll follow through when no one is watching?
5. What makes you better than your opponent?
   Voters are choosing between names on a ballot. Give them a clear reason to choose yours.

The totality of your answers to those five questions is your campaign message. And the one voters care about most — the one that needs to be at the center of everything you say — is what you’re going to do for them. What injustice will you fix? What will you do to improve the quality of life in your community? What policy will you change that saves them money, improves their schools, or gives them something they need and don’t currently have? That is the flour in the cake. It’s the main ingredient everything else is built around.

Getting Your Message Out: From Door-Knocking to Television

Having a great message accomplishes nothing if voters never hear it. Nobody wakes up in the morning and goes looking for your website to find out what you stand for. You have to go to them. That’s what affirmative advertising means — getting in front of their eyes and into their ears, proactively, repeatedly, until they know who you are and what you’re offering.

For smaller races — those requiring three or four thousand votes or fewer — you can do a lot with volunteers. Have them knock on doors, distribute literature at community events, stand at street corners, put up yard signs. One-on-one contact is powerful and costs almost nothing beyond time.

But once you’re in a larger jurisdiction, personal contact alone won’t get you there. You’ll simply run out of time before you reach enough voters. That’s where paid advertising becomes necessary.

Here’s the menu, from least to most expensive:

Digital and social media is where most campaigns should start. Facebook and YouTube are cost-effective and highly targetable — you can put your message in front of specific voters in specific areas. Organic posts that get shared can extend your reach significantly at no additional cost.

Radio is effective in many markets and more affordable than television. It works particularly well for name recognition and message repetition.

Persuasion mail — direct mail sent to targeted voters — is strong in areas inside large media markets where broadcast television would reach far more people than you need. It allows precise targeting by household, party, voting history, and geography.

Connected TV and OTT (over-the-top streaming) are increasingly viable for mid-size races. They let you reach cord-cutters and streaming households that traditional cable and broadcast miss.

Cable television is appropriate for larger local and regional races.

Broadcast commercial television is generally reserved for Senate races, gubernatorial contests, and major urban campaigns where the district overlaps with a major TV market.

The right mix depends on your race, your budget, and where your voters are. The goal is always the same: deliver your message to the voters who need to hear it, as efficiently as possible.

How to Raise the Money to Pay for It

Money is not evil. It’s how campaigns reach voters. And if you’re serious about winning, you need to be serious about raising it. Here are seven methods that work.

1. Your own network — the lowest-hanging fruit. The easiest money you’ll ever raise comes from people you already know – people who like and respect you. Start with your mobile contacts, your Facebook friends, your LinkedIn connections. These people already believe in you. Ask them directly — because if you don’t ask, you won’t get.
2. Surrogate fundraising. Once a donor maxes out their contribution to your campaign, go back to them with a different ask: who else in their contact list might be willing to give? A trusted friend calling their own network on your behalf is far more effective than a cold outreach. Nobody runs for president anymore without a network of surrogate fundraisers doing exactly this.
3. Email and text messages. These tools work — that’s why every serious campaign uses them. They cost money to deploy, but done well, they consistently generate more than they cost. Be persistent and specific: tell people exactly why you need their help and what their support will accomplish.
4. Direct mail fundraising. An older method, but still effective — especially for reaching senior citizens who don’t respond to digital outreach but read every letter they receive. If your district has a significant older population, don’t skip this.
5. Cocktail parties. A friend hosts 15 to 25 people at their home, charges a modest admission, and you’re the guest of honor. You make your case, answer questions, and ask for support. Low cost, personal, and effective for building early momentum.
6. Dinner parties. This is a higher-investment version of the cocktail party. A well-connected supporter invites five to ten couples, charges a meaningful admission price, and you spend two or three hours convincing them you’re worth backing. The real payoff often comes after: wealthy donors who believe in you talk to their wealthy friends, who talk to theirs. I once saw a U.S. Senate candidate who attended a dinner party in his honor. Five couples gave $2,000 to attend. He was so persuasive that they all agreed to help him raise money, and they in turn talked to their friends and business partners. By the end of the campaign, that single dinner had generated $50,000 in donations through word of mouth.
7. Celebrity events. Find someone with a following — a local athlete, a musician, an author, a well-known figure in your community — and build an event around them. A candidate in Arkansas had a friend who was a world championship wrestler. He agreed to be the guest of honor at a fall banquet. The candidate sold out 300 tickets in 48 hours. People came for the wrestler. They left having heard the candidate’s message. If you don’t know any celebrities, host a community event — a family chili dinner, a neighborhood cookout — and let the warmth and fun of the occasion do the work.

The Most Important Advice for First-Time Candidates

Save the best for last: don’t try to do this alone.

Running for office for the first time without guidance from someone who’s been through it before is the equivalent of performing surgery after reading a textbook. The learning curve is steep, the mistakes are costly, and many of them are entirely avoidable.

Find someone who has worked on campaigns. Get their help. They will show you things that save you enormous amounts of time and money, and they’ll help you avoid the traps that often take down first-time candidates. 

If you don’t know anyone like that in your community, reach out to me directly — the link is in the video description. I’ve worked in more than 400 campaigns over 45 years, seen everything and done it all at least once. The phone call is free. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if my campaign message is strong enough?
A: Test it. Say it out loud to people you trust and watch their reaction. Does it move them? Does it make them want to get involved or give money? A strong message produces a visible response — people lean forward, ask follow-up questions, and want to help. If people nod politely and change the subject, the message needs work. The five-question framework in this video is a good diagnostic: can you answer all five questions clearly in under two minutes?

Q: What’s the minimum budget for a competitive campaign?
A: It depends entirely on the size of your race and the cost of reaching your voters. A local race in a small jurisdiction can be run effectively on a few thousand dollars. A state legislative race might require $50,000 to $150,000. A congressional race in a competitive district can require $3 million or more. Start with your voter math — how many voters do you need, what channels reach them, and what does that cost — and build your budget from there.

Q: Is Facebook advertising still worth it for political campaigns?
A: Yes — for most races below the statewide level, Facebook remains one of the most cost-effective political advertising tools available. It allows precise geographic and demographic targeting, is relatively inexpensive compared to broadcast media, and is measurable. It works especially well for persuasion and turnout in targeted voter segments.

Q: How do I find surrogate fundraisers?
A: They’re usually already in your network — you just haven’t asked them yet. Look for supporters who are well-connected socially or professionally, who are genuinely enthusiastic about your campaign, and who have given at or near the legal maximum. Then have an honest conversation: tell them what you need, explain the surrogate fundraising concept, and ask if they’d be willing to make some calls on your behalf. Most people who love a candidate are happy to help if you ask them clearly.

Q: What should I look for when hiring someone to help with my first campaign?
A: Look for someone who has actually worked on campaigns — not just studied them. Ask about the races they’ve been involved in, what roles they played, and what they learned. Chemistry matters enormously: you’ll be working under pressure together, and trust is essential. And make sure they have time for you — a consultant or advisor who’s spread across too many clients won’t give your campaign the attention it needs.

Want to Go Deeper?

Jay Townsend has spent 45 years helping candidates at every level raise money and win elections. A free video on how to raise money in a political campaign is linked in the description — a deep dive into the methods and strategies Jay has used to help candidates raise millions of dollars. And if you want to talk through your specific situation, reach out directly — the first conversation is free. Browse the full resource library at JayTownsend.com or subscribe to Jay’s YouTube channel for new campaign strategy videos every week.