Riding the Campaign Train Wreck: Why Every Candidate Needs a Plan

"Every campaign is a train wreck. The most organized and well-funded train wreck usually wins." — a classic Kelly Dietrich quote

Apr 01, 2025

"Every campaign is a train wreck. The most organized and well-funded train wreck usually wins."

Prior to starting NDTC, this was the quote I used to end every training and class I taught. Everyone would laugh and smile, then see me staring back with a serious look. Because it is true.

We all imagine campaigns as well-funded, well-oiled machines working with precision—targeting voters based on the latest scientific polling and data. Something out of The West Wing if you're old enough to have seen the series.

The truth is closer to Veep. Campaigns are chaotic, frenetic, ever-changing organizations making do the best they can with nowhere near enough of the bare minimum of needed time, money, or people.

This is why every campaign, big or small, needs a campaign plan mapping out the goals, strategies, and tactics through election day.

woman placing sticky notes on wall — Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

Why Planning Matters When Everything Is Chaos

Campaigns are a mix of art and science, with candidates and staff having to make difficult decisions every day with very limited data. This is precisely why campaign plans are critical.

Think of it this way: Your campaign plan lays out how many votes you need, where they are, how you will reach them, what you'll say to voters when you do, and how much time, money, and people you will need along the way.

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If you don't know this, how do you know if your campaign is ahead or behind its goals? How do you know if you need to raise more money or knock on more doors?

Campaign plans allow you to make better decisions about where to spend that limited time, money, and people.

NDTC: Your Campaign Planning Partner

This is where NDTC can help. We demystify and democratize running for office. I just discussed this last week on the On Democracy Pocast with Fred Wellman. You don’t have to get thrown into the deep end or feel like running for public office is a sink-or-swim situation. Our free resources can walk you through how to build a professional campaign plan to help you set and reach the goals you need to win.

We also realize that this can sound intimidating. In fact, many people don't run because they are unsure of how they would go about creating and running a campaign. That should never happen, and it's our goal to lower the barrier to entry for any Democrat (or Democratic-leaning independent for those non-partisan offices).

What's a Campaign Plan, Really?

The term "campaign plan" probably sounds like some combination of a deeply boring and overwhelming project. Images of complex spreadsheets and intense strategy may come to mind. But it doesn't have to be that way!

Simply put, a campaign plan is how your campaign is set up and how it will function. This includes information about your district, budget, and field efforts, among other things. By mapping out all of this information and creating an appropriate plan, your campaign will be prepared for anything the race can throw at it.

NDTC's campaign plan template provides structure to make your life easier as you create your own plan. The easy-to-follow template, paired with the formulas, skills, and context of our online courses, will guide you through the process of creating a plan and lay the right foundation for a successful campaign.

Download the Campaign Plan Template!

The template is divided into six main sections:

District Overview
Field Plan
Fundraising
Communications Plan
Budget Summary
Compliance and Legal

If you aren't sure how to complete a section or want some tips, every section notes the accompanying NDTC on-demand courses that can help.

How To Use the Template

Since every candidate and race is unique, we encourage you to make a copy of the template so you can add your strategies and plans into this structure. And if there's more you'd like to include, it's your call!

Download the Campaign Plan Template!

After downloading the template, you can either fill out the sections as they appear or focus on specific sections most relevant or urgent to you. Once you have a place to start, you can review the notes and guidelines within each section and begin building your plan.

Each section prompts you to fill in information about your campaign such as district demographics or anticipated expenses. That way, your plan includes all the information you'll need for every element of your campaign.

By following these prompts, you'll create a comprehensive plan that you can then share with the people on your team, so you're all on the same page.

Learn from an Expert

Looking for a more comprehensive guide to building and using your campaign plan? Look no further than this excellent NDTC YouTube training featuring Jordan Berg Powers! Jordan gives a wonderful in-depth planning guide for vote goals, communications, fundraising, and more.

Don't Let Your Train Wreck Derail Your Campaign

Remember, all campaigns are train wrecks in some form or another. The difference between winning and losing often comes down to who planned better for the inevitable chaos.

NDTC's resources are free, comprehensive, and designed by campaign veterans who understand the realities of the campaign trail. Don't leave your electoral success to chance—start planning today.

Sincerely and fired up,

– Kelly Dietrich

Have you used NDTC's resources for your campaign? Share your experience in the comments below or forward this article to someone you know who's considering running for office.

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