A political campaign is an organized effort to promote a specific politician or a candidate for office. In democracies, these campaigns are usually focused on electoral elections or referendums. They can be run by legalized political parties or formally proclaimed candidates. However, in practice, trade unions, employer organizations, groups of citizens, media and famous people who are not members of any particular political party can also conduct campaigns.
The most high-profile political campaigns are those of head of state or government, typically a president or prime minister. However, there are thousands of other campaigns at every level of the legislative and executive branches of the public sector. These include campaigns for 535 seats in Congress, thousands of city- and state legislative seats, and hundreds of governors, auditors, treasurers, attorneys general, and judges.
Working on a campaign is an excellent way to quickly build professional experience and sharpen key skills, while building your career and engaging with your community. The fast-paced, intense, and emotionally charged environment can be a rewarding experience for many staffers, particularly college students to mid-level professionals.
It is very common for staffers to transition into full-time policy jobs in the offices of elected officials (colloquially known as the “official side”) if their candidate wins. In addition, many campaign experiences are a stepping stone to future positions in political parties or advocacy and lobbying firms. To get started, talk to your college or law school alumni connections who are working on campaigns or affiliated with partisan work, or ask your student governmental and advocacy groups for recommendations.