{{Political campaigning
A campaign manager, campaign chairman, or campaign director is a paid or
volunteer individual whose role is to coordinate a
political campaign's operations such as
fundraising,
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
,
polling,
getting out the vote (with direct contact to the public), and other activities supporting the effort, directly.
Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader. However, modern campaign managers, particularly at the presidential level, are mostly concerned with executing strategy, not setting it. The senior strategists are typically outside
political consultants
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
, primarily pollsters and media consultants.
Particularly for large, well-funded campaigns, campaign managers often manage a huge number of
staffers and
volunteers
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
in a variety of departments, while also coordinating closely with the candidate and outside consultants.
In the United States, increasingly, campaign management has been a speciality occupation. The top-tier of managers will move throughout the country working on a different campaign each election cycle. The challenges of building a successful operation from scratch in less than 2 years makes experienced professionals increasingly valuable.
In addition to their past experience, experienced campaign managers also bring with them knowledge of
campaign management tools
In the past, political campaigns were conducted using traditional methods of personal contact, such as television and radio media purchasing, print advertising and direct mail. However, the rising popularity of the Internet has changed how cam ...
and relationships with
political consultants
Political consulting is a form of consulting that consists primarily of advising and assisting political campaigns. Although the most important role of political consultants is arguably the development and production of mass media (largely tele ...
.
The pay ranges for a campaign manager differ depending on the scale of the political race.
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Elections