Political consultants help candidates with the knowledge and strategies they need to win their race. Also called political strategists, their primary goal is to help the candidate be aware of the various factors that could influence the election and subsequently develop a strategy to address them.
A political consultant’s ultimate goal is to bring voter’s attention to their candidate and win their loyalty – so that their candidate can win.
Why are political consultants important?
Political consultants can be pivotal to your campaign’s success because:
They bring their field experience to your election campaign. Veterans like David Axelrod (who advised Obama), or James Carville (who has advised multiple candidates for public office), know how best to influence voters in favor of the campaign. Their previous wins (and losses), gives them a clear edge to winning. It means that they don’t spend time ‘learning’ on the job, instead use their past experiences to map out a winning strategy for you.
They focus on the bare facts – on the data, while the candidate focuses on the election. Running for office is highly stressful, with the candidate having to focus on multiple areas (fundraising, canvassing, hosting rallies, filing paperwork). This means that the candidate is less suited to dig deep into data and actively look at strategizing. A political party registration consultant can take that off your hands and help you focus on what matters.
They can help you keep up with new trends in the race. Facebook fundraising, the changing digital landscape of grassroots mobilization, and of course the advent or relational organizing, all can be hard to keep track of and execute for a candidate. A consultant on the other hand, can be on top of the changes and find the right way to adapt it for the campaign.
While their expertise has a bigger impact (and is critical) for bigger races, consultants can also be game changers in local/down ballot races