Welcome to Local Victory! We have hundreds of articles and tips on how to win elections. Be sure to check out our Archives to see a complete list!

How to Plan a Candidate Tour Event

Holding a candidate tour of your district can be a great way to generate support and momentum, earn free press coverage and garner additional funds for your campaign. Tours take lots of planning to pull off right, but much of the planning can be done by local volunteers at each of your tour stops. Tour Events [...]

Read the full article →

The Top 3 Principles of Political Design

When you’re running for office, you have to make lots of design decisions for lots of different items. Campaigns need tons of printed materials, from yard signs and buttons to brochures and billboards. While political design has lots of things in common with standard business advertising design, it also has its own peculiar best practices. [...]

Read the full article →

Your Fundraising Calls Start in 30 Minutes

If you’re getting ready to run for office, but haven’t started making fundraising calls… this article is for you. Likewise, if you’ve made a call here or there, but hated every second of it, read on. Every political candidate needs to make fundraising calls. You can’t get around it. You can’t raise money just from [...]

Read the full article →

Tips for Local Candidates Preparing for the Next Election Cycle

Guest post by Ben Donahower at Campaign Trail Yard Signs Smart candidates are already taking steps to prepare themselves for the next election cycle. In addition to making introductions, attending meetings, and understanding the district, candidates can start building an organization that will win in the general election. Candidates can get their campaigns off on [...]

Read the full article →

Overcoming Your Biggest Roadblocks to Running for Office

Lots of people think about running for office. Lots of people have great ideas about how their local, county, state, or national government should be run. Lots of people are passionate about certain issues or causes, and want to make a real difference by serving in government. Sadly, very few who think about running for [...]

Read the full article →

Advanced Political Fundraising: How to Make an Ask

(This is the 2nd part of a 2 part series on political fundraising. Part 1 is available here: Political Fundraising 101) For many candidates, asking friends, colleagues, or supporters to make a donation is scary and unappealing. But political fundraising need not be frightening. Making an ask can even be (gulp!) a pleasant and enjoyable [...]

Read the full article →

Why Your Campaign Needs a Fundraising Plan

Running a successful fundraising operation is like running a successful business; both require detailed planning in order to succeed. Without a detailed fundraising plan in place, your campaign is doomed to mediocre financial success, at best, and dismal financial return, at worst. Of course, many campaigns ask the question, “Why can’t I just raise money from [...]

Read the full article →

Political Fundraising Networks

The most effective way for a local candidate to raise money is through personal contacts and solicitation… by building a personal fundraising network. National money and PAC contributions will be few and far between for aspiring local elected officials. In order to accomplish the necessary campaign tasks and achieve success on election day, the candidate [...]

Read the full article →

How to Deal with Political Consulting Firms

Consultants are a valuable resource for all but the most local campaigns. Political consulting firms should bring professional knowledge, tools, and resources to the table that campaigns can take advantage of at relatively reasonable prices. As more and more campaigns utilize the services of political consulting firms, many more such companies have been formed, with [...]

Read the full article →

7 Tips for Writing Political Fundraising Direct Mail

Direct mail fundraising is a staple of most modern political campaigns. If you’re running anything but the smallest campaign, direct mail should be part of your political fundraising mix as well. Fundraising mailings help your campaign grow a base of support among small and medium sized donors. Raising money through the mail also gives you [...]

Read the full article →

Guide to Using Voter Lists in Your Campaign

Winning campaigns aren’t based on guesswork or hunches… they’re based on cold hard facts. Over the past five decades, political campaigns have moved from relying on political bosses and educated conjecture to using professional consultants, political targeting, and as much scientific planning as possible. One of the key pieces of data your campaign will need [...]

Read the full article →

How to be a Successful Big City Pol

Richard Daley… Rudy Giuliani… Ed Rendell… Steven Goldsmith…. Martin O’Malley… Marion Barry… Richard Riordan… There’s not much these seven men have in common. Some are Republicans, others Democrats. Some were policy-oriented thinkers, others fly by the seat of your pants doers. One is known for his appetite for food (Rendell) and another for his appetite [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries