TL;DR
2025 proved that critical races happen in every community, every year. The candidates who will win in 2026 are preparing right now. Start today at traindems.org.
NDTC’s 2026 roadmap starts in January: We’ve built a month-by-month training calendar that takes you from campaign fundamentals through GOTV and beyond.
Anyone can run. NDTC trains you to WIN. If we can help you execute your run for office next year, tell us what training topics will be most useful to you.
What NDTC Winners Have in Common
2025 proved something we’ve been saying for years: there are no off-years anymore. While the national spotlight dimmed, critical races were won and lost in local communities all over the country. Mayors were elected. School boards flipped. State legislative special elections quietly shifted the balance of power. But the 960+ NDTC learners who won their races? They didn’t start preparing in October. They started months earlier to learn new skills with NDTC – from building their teams, to crafting messages, to raising money and talking to voters.
That’s why our team has spent months designing something just for you: a month-by-month roadmap that develops the campaign skills you need when you need them. We’ve set a schedule specifically designed to take candidates and campaign staff from their first planning conversations all the way through Election Day and beyond. Think of it as a roadmap for winning next year and for building campaigns that are sustainable, effective, and well-positioned to govern long after the votes are counted.
Hit The Ground Running
Starting in January, we’re hitting the ground running with campaign fundamentals. If you’re thinking about running for office in 2026, the journey starts now. We’ll be covering everything from the basics of campaign structure to how to tackle your first 90 days. Because campaigns that start planning in January have a huge advantage over those that wait until summer.
Then we’ll tackle one of the most critical questions every campaign faces: who’s on your team? We’ll dive deep into volunteer recruitment, building your campaign team, and yes, the sometimes awkward but always necessary topic of campaign employment. You need all three: people, time, and money. February is when we’ll build that foundation.
Finding Your Voice, Funding Your Vision
March is all about messaging. We know you’ve been out in your community, talking to people, hearing what matters to your neighbors. Now it’s time to translate all that listening into a compelling story about why you’re running and what you’ll fight for. This is where you craft that message.
In April, it’s time to talk about something that makes every first-time candidate uncomfortable: asking for money. But fundraising isn’t about being pushy or salesy — it’s about inviting people to invest in the change they want to see.
From Strategy to Field Work
As we move into spring, our training evolves with your campaign needs. May focuses on digital strategy — because in today’s fragmented media landscape, you need to know where and how to reach voters online. June gives you a chance to take stock at the halfway point: How’s your messaging landing? Is your fundraising on track? Where do you need to course-correct before the fall sprint begins?
Late summer shifts the focus to field work. All the planning in the world doesn’t matter if you can’t execute on the ground. We’ll cover everything from traditional canvassing to the crucial work of youth organizing.
The Final Push and Beyond
September and October are about Get Out The Vote — the make-or-break moments when all your preparation comes together. We’ll help you think through voter contact strategies, volunteer management, and the technology that can make your GOTV operation run smoothly.
Then comes November. Regardless of the outcome, we believe in taking time to reflect and reset. Win or lose, you’ve done something important by stepping up. We’ll help you debrief and reflect on what worked well for you, and what didn’t.
Finally, December reminds us that it’s never too early to start building for the next cycle and beyond. Whether you’re running again, recruiting candidates, or want to level up your campaign skills, NDTC will be here to train the next generation of Democratic leaders.
Momentum is On Our Side
2026 will turn out tons of voters who sat out this year. State legislatures will be won or lost. And in thousands of communities, local officials will be elected who will make decisions that affect people’s daily lives for years to come.
The candidates who will win those races are getting ready right now. Will that include you? That teacher who’s watched their school board make terrible decisions is preparing. The organizer who knows their community deserves better representation is adding our trainings to their calendar. The working parent who’s done waiting for elected officials to work for families is making a list of whom they can count on for support. Our democracy depends on the candidates who will decide to run and prepare now.
If we can help you execute a run for office in 2026, will you take 30 seconds to tell us what training topics will be most useful to you? Your feedback helps us provide all the training you need to win.
Anyone can run. NDTC trains you to WIN.
The 2026 roadmap is coming. And we’re ready to walk you from campaign kickoff to election day. Signing up for our weekly TL;DR newsletter is the best way to make sure you’re first in the know about our upcoming trainings as they’re released. And subscribing here on Substack will also get you insider guidance about what’s relevant to your campaign.
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