The Key to Running a Successful Campaign
The key to running a campaign is the effective management of four essential “commodities”: Time, Information, Money, and People. If you can remember TIMP, your organization will be prepared to lead its campaigns to success!
The first aspect of TIMP, time, is a double-edge sword. On the one hand, it can be a campaign’s worst enemy. You are constantly fighting the clock: every day that passes is another day you can’t phonebank, knock doors, meet voters, promote your message, or fundraise. You can’t rewind to prevent a bad news story or put out an advertisement. Taking advantage of every moment is a difficult task, but you must be able to do it – and do it well – in order to be successful. This is where time can also work in a campaign’s favor. Successful campaigns feature effective time management, in which a timeline is essential. A timeline tells a campaign which strategies they will employ and when. By when must I file my candidacy? How much money do I want to have raised by this date? What events do I have going on this month? These are all questions you should be asking yourself and accounting for!
Now onto the information. What is the message your campaign wants to send to voters? You have your vision, and you have information about your opponent. Properly identifying the issues that concern voters the most and tailoring your ads to those issues is one of the most important things a campaign can do. For example, in 1884, the Republican Party attacked Democrat Grover Cleveland for having fathered an illegitimate son, arguing the choice between Cleveland and Republican James G. Blaine was a choice between "the brothel and the family, between indecency and decency, between lust and law." Cleveland, however, admitted to this being true, and relied on an argument of his own honesty and integrity against his opponent’s alleged corruption, extravagance, and subservience to the rich. Cleveland won the election by a narrow margin – had Blaine received only a few more votes in New York, he would have taken the state and the presidency.
Money is the next topic of utmost importance to running a successful campaign. Without money, not a lot can be accomplished. Money can be used to outspend your opponent and win, as we saw with Glenn Youngkin in Virginia’s Republican gubernatorial nomination convention. On the flip side, when money is managed effectively, it can help a campaign be successful even if you are being outspent by your opponent. Case in point: Donald Trump raised only about $600 million in 2016, compared with Hillary Clinton’s $1 billion.
Finally, we have people. This includes volunteers, vendors, and even the candidate himself. Without people, there is no campaign. No one to promote a vision. No one to convince to vote for you and your ideas. No one to help you pursue your goal of winning this election.
If you want to execute an effective, winning campaign, remember the four components of TIMP – Time, Information, Money, and People – and you will be on your way!
Sources:
Graff, Henry F., et al. “Grover Cleveland: Campaigns and Elections.” Miller Center, 18 July 2017, https://millercenter.org/president/cleveland/campaigns-and-elections.
McNamara, Michael. The Political Campaign Desk Reference: A Guide for Campaign Managers, Operatives, and Candidates Running for Political Office. Campaignguy Press, an Imprint of Mason Grant LLC, 2019.
Mirshahi, Dean. “Snyder and Youngkin Put Millions into Their Campaigns but McAuliffe Still Maintains Fundraising Lead in Virginia Governor's Race.” 8News, 8News, 30 Apr. 2021, https://www.wric.com/news/politics/capitol-connection/snyder-and-youngkin-put-millions-into-their-campaigns-but-mcauliffe-still-maintains-fundraising-lead-in-virginia-governors-race/.
Peters, Jeremy W., and Rachel Shorey. “Trump Spent Far Less than Clinton, but Paid His Companies Well.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Dec. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/us/politics/campaign-spending-donald-trump-hillary-clinton.html.