Campaign Command Focus, Explained
By Wes Farno (Director of General Consulting)
Running a campaign without a plan is like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions, blindfolded, and being chased by a grandma with a frying pan.
Yes, it’s that bad.
Sure, you might bolt a few boards together and call it a nightstand (or maybe win a primary), but odds are you’ll end up with a bruised ego, 200 unused buttons, and a plethora of upset donors who vow never to support a candidate again.
Being organized and having a plan isn’t just a good idea — it’s your lifeline.
Write a plan. Put it on paper. Include timelines, budgets, and a master list of people who will support you with money, endorsements, or at least a tray of lasagna for the next volunteer meeting. This isn’t busywork. It’s survival.
And once you’ve got the plan, follow it.
Stay the course when donors ghost you – because they will. Stay the course when Cousin Dave suggests a blimp with your face on it – that’s not in the plan, and it’s a bad idea.
Track everything.
Treat your campaign like the world’s smallest Fortune 500 company.
You’re not the IT guy, emotional support dog, or snack coordinator. You are the candidate.
A candidate’s job is to ask for money and deliver their message. Every time you skip call time to fix the office printer, plan an event, or deliver a yard sign, a political angel loses its wings.
Laugh at the chaos. Embrace the grind. One well-executed plan is worth a thousand half-baked ideas shouted at you over a folding table.
If you’re tired of winging it and ready to run a professional campaign, it’s time to call in the Difference Makers.
At Ascent Strategic, we don’t just build plans — we build campaigns that survive the chaos, dodge the bad ideas, and win when it counts. Our senior strategists have been in the trenches of the biggest races in the country, and we know that success comes down to two things: a smart plan and the discipline to stick to it.
We don’t hand you a plan and disappear — we stay in the fight with you, helping you focus, adapt, and charge through every frying-pan-wielding grandma that stands in your way.
If you’re ready to stop duct-taping your campaign together and start running it like the Fortune 500 operation it needs to be, the A-Team at Ascent Strategic is ready to go to work.
