The Political Campaign Desk Reference: A Guide for Campaign Managers and Candidates Running for Elected Office

by Michael McNamara

The book you don't want your opponent to have.

I use The Political Campaign Desk Reference as the basic text in my courses on political campaigning. It's a practical guide that helps my students understand how a winning political campaign is put together. I'm sure many of them will continue to use it after they graduate and start running campaigns of their own

- Terry Grundy, University of Cincinnati

"Urban Lobbying" courses in the School of Planning

"With instruction on how to form the backbone of a strong campaign and how to plan to win, this is the book you don't want your opponent to have. The chapter on fundraising alone will make this book an excellent investment for any candidate or organization"

- Michael P. McNamara, Author

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Reference

198 pages, Paperback

First published September 6, 2008

About the author

Michael McNamara has been professionally consulting on campaigns at all levels for over 25 years. From nonpartisan issue campaigns and local liquor options to federal races for United States Congress and United States Senate, McNamara’s experience is broad and deep when it comes to winning political campaigns.

McNamara graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and earned his Master of Public Administration from the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. McNamara has been a member of many professional organizations including the American Association of Political Consultants and the American Political Science Association.

McNamara resides in Ohio with his wife, Lisa, where they raise their two sons.

Reviews

[Eamonn J. Donovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer for neophyte municipal candidates

In a year that is expected to have a record number of new candidates whom have never campaigned for office, this is a great guide to get you started. If you’re running for office keep this reference guide nearby. If you’re on the fence about running this will give you a picture of what your next months might look like. Good book.

[Paul LaFontaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Approaching the running and winning of a local political campaign demands a broad set of skills and disciplined execution. It is not handing out pins and kissing babies. From creating a message, doing analytical research and assembling a team to social media excellence, running a campaign takes the plan and skills outlined in this book.

A great starting primer on the mechanics of running a local political campaign. It extends into techniques that might take more budget than a candidate may have, but the solid basics remain present if that budget is not available. I liked the book and learned a lot from it.

Highly recommend.

[Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book that's easy to read. The book contains a lot of common sense, but maybe a lot of common sense is needed in a political campaign. The downside is that the book is US-centric, there is a lot that can be used to scale, depending on the nature and size of the campaign.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s odd that this book spends so much time discussing ways to shut the candidate and their families out of the process. The professional campaign world has become 10x worse than the political boss system. All you need is the casual language in this book shutting the candidate out of meetings to realize this. I am lowkey terrified how much worse it will get the further down the rabbit hole I go.

[Kaitlin Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent reference, good for both a read through and then something to return to later on as a reference

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally helpful, but outdated.

[Will Atkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing too special in the book itself, but the appendices are chock full of templates and examples that are more valuable than the book itself.

[Chris Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book for a local candidate, but a lot of it was geared toward campaigns with considerably more money than the race in which I find myself.