"A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided. In modern politics, the most high profile political campaigns are focused on candidates for head of state or head of government, often a President or Prime Minister.
Sale of official campaign merchandise (colloquially known as chum, in reference to the baiting technique) as a way of commuting a competitor's popularity into campaign donations, volunteer recruitment, and free advertising"
"Strategy and messaging vary tremendously between campaigns. Unlike other portions of the campaign, these tie directly into the candidate's personal beliefs. Early in the campaign, the candidate and his key staff must have very frank discussions about these issues.
"In many cases, candidates are seeking office due to strong feelings on a single issue. However, if the voters don't share the candidate’s strong feeling, the candidate needs to determine if he/she is comfortable focusing on other issues.
"Likewise, decisions need to be made about comfort levels with negative advertising. Will the campaign refer to their opponent(s) in voter contact? If so, what issues are fair game?
"Only after these types of questions are answered can the campaign put together a strategy.
"After your tools, team, budget, strategy and message are put together, running the actual campaign is mostly just a matter of implementing. Of course, your campaign needs to be prepared for changing circumstances and may need to revise any of these previously prepared items, but with solid planning, your daily operations will run much more smoothly.
"For more information on these daily activities, I'd recommend reading some of our other articles. Visit http://www.completecampaigns.com/subjects.asp for more articles."
A whistle stop train tour in Keyser, West Virginia, in 1948. From left to right: President Harry S. Truman at the microphone, Congressional candidate Harley Orrin Staggers, and vice presidential candidate Alben W. Barkley.