Table of Contents
Introduction: Why I Wrote This Book vii
What's the Worst that Could Happen? Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton 1
1 Why You Have to Run for Office 5
A Pep Talk Emmy Ruizz 22
2 Why Winning Isn't Everything (Or, an Excuse to Talk about the Utter Bullshit that is the Uncontested Election) 27
3 Civics 101: How Government (Generally) Works at the Federal and State Levels (Or, Why You Should Run for Local Office) 35
4 Why you can actually Run for State Legislature 49
Running as a Progressive in a Red State Jason Kander 62
Do Something Senator Cory Booker 65
5 How to Run for Local Office 69
Running a Campaign: Tips from an Expert Jen O'Malley Dillon 90
6 Mobilization (or, how you reach voters) 95
7 Message (or, what you talk to voters about) 129
8 Money (or, how to raise what you need) 141
9 Writing Your Campaign Plan 155
Make Local Elections Great Again Addisu Demissie 163
10 So You're Not Running for Office (yet) 167
Seven Questions John Podesta 178
11 Why I Made Campaigns a Career (and why you should too) 181
Campaigns Will Change Your Life Marlon Marshal 189
Politics Isn't Broken Teddy Goff 192
12 How to Actually get a Job on a Political Campaign 195
13 Phone Calls and Tweeting and Marching, Oh My (Or, Activism 101) 201
Conclusion 205
Appendix 207
Acknowledgements 215
Notes 220