Read The New Campaign Playbook

How to Read this Guide

In this guide, you’ll find comprehensive, nuts-and-bolts information on running for office, with stories from the campaign trail that focus on the experiences of Square One’s Congressional candidates in 2018 and 2020. We’ve combined our own first-hand observations with anecdotes and insights from present and former candidates, elected officials, and campaign professionals, who very generously made time to speak with us during the highly contentious and chaotic 2020 election season.

This guide was designed primarily for those considering a run for office, those already running, and for campaign staff and advisors. It’s our hope, too, that volunteers, organizers, students, donors and others find this guide useful as well.

The candidates we’ve highlighted in this guide are some of those with whom we’ve worked most closely, but we are confident that the information we will share is relevant for all people who are contemplating or beginning a run, and will be particularly useful for political newcomers.

Most campaigns follow a predictable timeline, and so we’ve set up what follows in a form that allows us to walk readers through all the steps in logical progression. We’ve tried to anticipate and answer the questions we think are most likely to come up at different points along the way. You can read through the sections in sequence, or if you’d prefer, you can jump to whatever subject is most on your mind.

Either way, you’ll get a compendium of the best and most updated knowledge and advice we can offer. If you’re considering a run, we hope it will inspire you. If you’ve already started, we hope it will help you.

Finally, if you think you might be a good fit for an endorsement, complete our endorsement application and a member of our team will reach out. For all other questions about running for office, email run@squareonepolitics.org.

© 2023 Square One Politics

This guide is free to read, download and use. No portion may be reproduced for any reason without written permission from Square One Politics.