Mike Biundo on Hiring the Right Team for Your Campaign
Deciding to put your name on the ballot is a big step – it means exposing yourself, your loved ones, colleagues, and friends to months of hard work, attacks, and stress. The team you build around you is so important. With the right chemistry, attitude, and competency, the right team can be the difference between winning and losing. A campaign team, when built right, should be as drama free as possible. They should be collaborative. They should know you and be invested in your race. Invested in your winning.
Unfortunately, many candidates’ natural instinct is to gravitate towards hiring one of these “mega-firms.” They do so thinking that they are hiring some big-name consultant when in reality, they are getting some junior-level operative on the day-to-day of the campaign. The big-name consultant that flew into your state on their private jet, met with your spouse, ran their flashy PowerPoint, and touted their accolades is off jet-setting to their next name on their acquisition sheet. Once the ink is dry on the contract, you are lucky to get them on the phone once a month.
As I said, one of the most important decisions you make when you put your hat in the ring is hiring people who are all in for you. The “business of politics” can be ugly. The personal touch, which was once the norm in political campaigns, has given way to drive-by consulting. Listen, after 30 years in this business, I have seen more changes, strides, and new ways of communicating and running campaigns than I can count. Technology has come and gone – the old ways of doing things have been replaced with more robust and new ways to communicate. One thing should stay consistent, though: the people you hire should be in the business to help you get elected because that’s how we make a difference in our country.
There are many good consultants on the right side of the aisle, ones that are in this business for the right reasons – not just to build the next Walmart of the political consulting world. Picking one should come down to who best fits your team and that you feel you can work well with, not only when times are good but when the campaign gets tough. We, of course, hope you pick the Ascent team, but if you don’t, we would also be happy to recommend someone that fits the campaign you need to build. Either way, we would be happy to talk with you.
We won THREE Pollie Awards!
Last night, the American Association of Political Consultants hosted the annual Pollie Awards Ceremony. The Pollies, nicknamed the “Oscars of Political Advertising,” are prestigious and much sought-after awards for those in the political industry. 2023 is the largest Pollie Contest to date, according to the AAPC, and fewer than 21% of entries received the honor of an award. Of the entries, a Pollie Gold was only awarded to a mere 5% of entries.
We are thrilled to announce that we won three Pollie Awards at this year’s ceremony, including a Pollie Gold! Our awards included:
- Gold: Independent Expenditure Campaign – U.S. House of Representatives
- Silver: For U.S. House of Representatives – Republican
- Regional: Direct Mail – Independent Expenditure Campaign – For Local/Municipal/Mayoral – Small Budget (<$1 million) – Republican
Earlier this year, our team also had the honor of receiving SIX Reed Awards. We are beyond proud of our team for their hard work on behalf of our incredible clients.
As a full-service consulting firm, we pride ourselves on our commitment to our clients and knowledge of the industry. If you’re in the market for top-notch consulting, digital, direct mail, or phone services, reach out to our team today. We would love to assist you on your road to victory.
To see some of our award-winning work, check out our winning direct mail entries below. We hope to hear from you soon!
