Political Campaign Tips and Strategies
Practical guides for candidates running local and state campaigns. Find advice on starting a campaign, building your online presence, fundraising, messaging, voter outreach, and more.
Essential Articles
How to Prepare for a Run for Local Office
Learn the basics of preparing for a local campaign, including qualifications,
budgeting, fundraising, building a campaign team, filing requirements, and
getting voters to the polls.
Read the guide
Setting Up Your Political Campaign Timeline
See what needs to happen before, during, and after a campaign launch, from early planning and filing through fundraising, voter outreach, and Election Day.
View the timeline
A practical guide to planning, building, and launching a campaign website that gives voters the information they need and supports your campaign goals.
Read the website guide
Find out which pages and content your campaign website should include to inform voters, collect support, accept donations, and keep your campaign active.
See the essential pages
Comparing Political Donation Platforms
Compare common political fundraising platforms and the factors campaigns should consider when choosing a service for accepting online contributions.
Compare donation platforms
Understand how your campaign slogan, core message, and issue platform work together—and the different role each plays in communicating with voters.
Learn the differences
Need a Campaign Website?
Online Candidate has helped political candidates build their online presence since 2004. See our custom campaign website packages and campaign-specific features.
What Happens If You Miss a Campaign Filing Deadline?
It's a big problem it you miss a campaign filing deadline. In many cases, it will end your campaign before it even begins. Every cycle, first-time candidates assume there’s some flexibility built into the process. They might assume there's a grace period or a way to...
Can You Run for Local Office With a Full-Time Job?
Yes. People run for local office with a full-time job all the time. But it’s rarely easy. Most first-time candidates ask this question quietly before they ever say it out loud. They’re not wondering whether they care enough about the issues. They’re wondering whether...
Should You Run for Local Office? A Practical Self-Assessment for First-Time Candidates
Running for local office doesn’t begin with paperwork and an announcement. It actually begins with deciding whether you’re ready for what comes with it. Local political races are often described as small or community-based. Sometimes they are. Other times, they’re...
Tactics for Conducting Digital Political Opposition Research
In local elections, details matter. They can be: A past vote. A statement at a town meeting.An old Facebook post that resurfaces a few weeks before Election Day. Opposition research today happens online. Even in city council, school board, and county races, digital...
Run a Local Political Campaign Without Overcomplicating It
Most local political candidates assume the hardest part will be fundraising, messaging, or voter outreach. In practice, most local political campaigns struggle much earlier—when candidates build systems that don’t match the scale of a small local campaign. Running for...
2026: Running for Office as an Online Candidate – The Book
Running for Office as an Online Candidate: Web Strategies for Local Campaigns, is available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com. The book is packed with useful strategies and provides a blueprint for digital political campaigns. Key Topics Covered: Crafting...
How Much Should Your Political Campaign Budget For Digital?
Digital campaigning has changed dramatically in the last decade, and so has the amount campaigns are expected to invest online. Back in 2018, political digital spending reached $1.9 billion — almost 20% of all political ad spending at the time, according to Borrell...
What To Know About Starting A Political Campaign
Starting a political campaign, whether for federal, state, or local office, requires a clear strategy and disciplined execution. Every winning campaign starts with a roadmap, a plan that aligns your goals, message, and resources. You need to understand your values,...
Winning Local Elections Is About Getting Voters To Take Action
Many voters do not follow local politics. Often, they don’t even know when local elections occur. But many would support you as a candidate if they knew more about you and the issues you stand for.
How to Beat an Incumbent Candidate: Campaign Strategies That Work
Are you about to challenge a popular candidate for office? If so, there's a good chance that you don't have much government experience, influential connections, or money. This can make facing off against an experienced, well-known, and well-financed incumbent even...
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