Political Consultants vs. Campaign Managers: What’s the difference?
You’ve done it. You’ve made the terrifying decision to run for office. Now, everyone and their grandma has an opinion on what you should be doing.
“Why don’t you have yard signs yet?”
“You should be at the farmer’s market!”
“Your opponent is posting on Facebook, you need to too.”
It all seems important, but it’s a lot to manage. It is, and you shouldn’t have to do it alone.
But where do you even begin to figure out what kind of help you need? A photographer? A data analyst? A treasurer? (Hint: you should hire a professional treasurer).
You might need all of these skills throughout the campaign; but, right now you need someone to help you manage everything. Here’s how to decide if a campaign manager or political consultant is right for your campaign:
What is a campaign manager?
A campaign manager is an individual in charge of overseeing campaign volunteers, staff, and operations. This individual will be your right hand person. They’re on the ground and report directly to the candidate and are an employee of the campaign.
What does a political consultant do?
In the 1960s, political consultants were dubbed the “professional campaign managers.” Political consultants are vendors for the campaign, and are often working for multiple campaigns and organizations at once.
Political consultants can be responsible for overall strategy, planning, and guidance; however, they can also be specialists such as fundraising consultants, field consultants, or digital consultants. Read our Guide to Different Types of Political Consultants to learn more about political consultants.
Here are some questions to ask when deciding between hiring a campaign manager or a political consultant:
What is your budget?
Political consultants can be helpful in fulfilling the traditional responsibilities of different campaign staff members without hiring an individual for each role.
A campaign manager will ideally be an employee of the campaign, whether part-time or full-time, and with that comes benefits and reimbursements.
What seat are you running for?
If you’re running for Senate you will likely need a campaign manager and a number of political consultants. Whereas, if you’re running for City Council, you may receive all the support you need from a campaign manager and a few part-time staff members, or a political consultant and some dedicated volunteers.
Do you need someone local?
Do you need someone to help you staff fundraisers, to attend events, and make sure you are getting from Point A to Point B? You should consider a local campaign manager.
Who will be your potential volunteers?
Do you have a bunch of friends and family ready to help out any way they can? You might not need heavy on-the-ground support, and can consider a political consultant for strategy and guidance.
What is the experience level of your current staff, volunteers, and network?
Political consultants can be helpful in supporting a campaign whose staff has less experience, but does not have the need, or ability, to add full-time staff.
Have you run for office before?
Do you have existing relationships with staffers and vendors? Do you have a dedicated volunteer base? Do you have past success in fundraising? If the answer is no to all of these questions, you might consider a political consultant. Consultants often have pre-exisiting relationships with vendors, media, and donors that will make campaigning smoother.
Want more tips on how to decide between a campaign manager and a political consultant? Book a free 15-minute call with us now.