A political campaign is an election-oriented effort by a group of people to influence public policy. Political campaigns can range from a few volunteers who are coordinating with local voters to a large operation encompassing hundreds of paid staff members and consultants. Many campaigns are organized to elect a specific candidate or ballot initiative, while others are focused on the general political direction of a party or organization. In the United States, all elections to national and state offices occur every two years, known as a “cycle.” Elections for Congressional seats, senators, and governors typically are on even-numbered cycles, while those to city and county executive offices are held on odd-numbered ones.
Competitive elections often involve very tight margins of victory, and they typically determine the balance of power and policy outcomes in a particular area. These races generally attract the attention of both major political parties’ ecosystems, which are eager to fund candidates and operations that will maximize their partisan advantages. The most competitive campaigns are those whose contestants vie for the highest levels of government, such as president, governor, and senator, but they also may be those that compete for local or state legislative seats or for various judicial positions.
In most democratic societies, there are no restrictions on political campaigning; anyone can organize a campaign to promote a particular viewpoint. Generally, the most successful campaigns are those that offer an enticing message to the majority of the population, which will be more likely to support an individual with a well-thought-out platform that offers real solutions to the problems they identify.