15 Rules for First-Time Candidates

Every time we bring on a new candidate, we get the same questions and give the same advice. Here it is in one place. It isn't just for newcomers, plenty of veterans need the refresher too.

1. Run everything by your compliance officer

Before you spend or release anything, your website, signs, scripts, palm cards, mailers, send it to your compliance officer. One review today can save you thousands later, and compliance mistakes turn into attack ads fast. We've watched a client print thousands of yard signs with no disclaimer because they skipped this step. They tried to save a few dollars and spent more.

2. Hire political professionals

Campaigns run on tight rules and fast timelines. People who work in politics understand compliance, strategy, voter contact, and the pace. Well-meaning friends and local freelancers usually don't. A common one: a candidate asks a friend to shoot campaign photos, gets pretty pictures that can't be used for anything, then pays a real campaign photographer to redo it all.

3. Fundraise every single day

Money drives voter contact. If you want to reach voters, you have to fundraise daily. Start with a simple spreadsheet, names, phones, emails, ask amounts, call notes, and write down everyone you believe will support you. You're not asking people to fund your life, you're asking them to invest in a campaign built on shared principles. Set daily call goals and treat it like part of the job.

4. Trust your real friends

The moment you announce, new people will want into your circle. Some mean well, some want access, and most don't know what they're talking about. Be polite to everyone, but trust the people who have known you for years.

5. Tell people you're running

Say it out loud. Tell people at the grocery store, the server at lunch, your neighbors. Voters can't support you if they don't know you're in the race, and most never meet a candidate. One of our clients introduced himself to every business in town, and one of those conversations turned into a relationship worth over $20,000 in donations.

6. Always be prepared

Keep palm cards in your car and your bag. Carry business cards and a notebook. Keep a clean shirt or blazer in the backseat for last-minute meetings or photos. Preparation signals seriousness, and people notice.

7. Take pictures. Lots of pictures.

Document your days, events, meetings, small businesses, community gatherings. Voters want to see you active in the district, and your team needs the photos for social and mail. Mix posed shots with natural moments, and keep everything in one shared album.

8. Keep your message simple

Pick the three things you want voters to associate with your name, and repeat them in every interview, speech, and conversation. Clear, steady messaging wins. Long, complicated lists don't. Stay positive and friendly.

9. Don't argue on social media

You don't win votes arguing online. Post your updates, share your message, and move on. Save your time and energy for real conversations with real voters. Screenshots spread fast and posts live forever.

10. Respect your family's time

Campaigns demand long days and constant decisions. Talk with your spouse and kids before you start, set expectations, and protect time with them. Candidates burn out when their personal life collapses. The voters will be there tomorrow. Your family needs you today.

11. Treat volunteers well

Volunteers give up their personal time to help you. Thank them often, give them clear tasks, and celebrate their wins. A strong volunteer team becomes the backbone of a campaign, but only if they feel valued.

12. Thank your donors

This gets overlooked constantly. Handwritten notes matter. A quick, personal thank you builds goodwill and keeps donors engaged. It takes five minutes and pays off for the rest of the race.

13. Practice your stump speech

Keep it tight. Hit your main points, end with a direct ask, and practice until it feels natural. A good stump speech works everywhere, from county fairs to donor meetings.

14. Clean up your personal social media

Review old posts that could distract from your message and tighten your privacy settings. Opponents and reporters will scroll back years. Give them less to work with.

15. Free is never good

The biggest trap is accepting free campaign work. When someone works for free, you're less likely to give honest feedback, so you end up stuck with subpar work you didn't want to push back on. Free work also kills the incentive to deliver on time and at the level a campaign needs. Hire people you're comfortable holding to a standard, who treat political work as work and not a hobby. And if a friend built you a free website when you started, hear this clearly: you are not stuck with it for the rest of the race.

Final thought

Work in this long enough and you see the same patterns repeat. The candidates who prepare, listen, and keep their circle tight almost always land in a better place than the ones who throw a Hail Mary. Voters can tell who's serious and who's guessing. Put these rules into practice and the race will still be hard, it always is, but you'll be ready for it, and that alone puts you miles ahead.

Adapted from Andrew Loposser's newsletter, The Political Playbook.