A political consultant provides strategic insight that helps organizations, campaigns, and candidates navigate the current political climate. They often handle public-facing duties like fundraising and PR, while performing research on voter preferences, local regulations, and the overall political landscape.
Political consultants play an increasingly important role in shaping modern politics. They coordinate messaging and outreach strategies to familiarize eligible voters with candidates’ platforms and positions. Consultants also support candidates throughout the election process and generate community interest in important issues — all to implement policies that change the community, state, and country for the better.
Political Consulting: A Promising Career Path
Politicians who serve in local, state, and federal governments have an important role in implementing policies that create positive results for the public. Political consultants have an important role in supporting these public servants — and their political parties and organizations — as they work to improve society.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, political consultant careers are forecasted to grow 7% through 2032, which is similar to the career outlook for political scientists. This should create an estimated 600 new positions each year. While many political consultants will work directly with candidates, others will find employment with political organizations, lobbying firms, and labor unions working to improve different regulations.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Political Consultant
A single political consultant might handle tasks like event planning, voter outreach, research, and messaging. This multifaceted role makes them an extremely important piece in an overall political strategy, as they work to build and implement strategies that guide political candidates and parties in reaching voters, setting goals, and obtaining support.
What Do Political Consultants Do?
Political consultants play an important behind-the-scenes role in political operations. They drive campaign strategy, manage media outreach, and create messaging that informs voters of important topics.
A few of their specific responsibilities could include:
- Research: Political consultants conduct polls, analyze voter demographics, and explore other candidates’ campaign strategies to better guide overall strategy.
- Strategy development: Political consultants create full campaign plans with specific voter outreach goals, anticipated polling figures, planned events, and an overarching mission.
- Media management: Political consultants use the press, websites, social media, and other forms of outreach to strategically inform voters.
- Messaging: Political consultants craft content for a candidate, organization, or campaign that includes talking points, updates, and information for the press.
- Digital optimization: Political consultants implement digital strategies like online advertising and social media outreach to extend candidates’ campaigns online.
Among other responsibilities, political consultants manage outreach strategies meant to influence voter perception. They work to protect a candidate’s reputation while publicizing a candidate’s stance on today’s issues, political climate, and other candidates.
Who Do Political Consultants Work For?
The majority of political consultants, like political scientists, work in the federal government; while they may not do so internally, they can support candidates and campaigns affecting change at the highest level. Other consultants may work on state or local levels, or specialize in reaching out to constituents and stakeholders in certain localities.Â
Other consultants might work privately for a consulting firm, trade association, or nonprofit organization. Some political consultants also find work in the media, helping the general public understand the nuances of a particular candidate’s campaign or strategy.
Political Consultant Salaries and Earning Power
A political consultant earns a typical yearly income of $56,000 to $104,000 a year, which does not include additional bonus pay. Political consultants who serve federal candidates and employers usually have a higher salary than those who work outside of this sphere.Â
Factors Influencing the Salary of a Political Consultant
The exact income of a political consultant is based on several factors, including education, years of experience, and location.
Here are a few specific factors that can also affect your salary and earning power:
- Campaign scale: Larger, high-profile state or federal campaigns can offer higher salaries, due to larger operating budgets and the seniority of the consultant required.
- Field specialization: Expertise in fields like digital marketing, public relations, and crisis management can further increase your earning power.Â
- Education: Advanced degrees or certification programs in political science, PR, communications, or a related field can lead to higher-income opportunities in political consulting.
Your salary can also depend on the skills you can offer a candidate, campaign, or organization. Many employers look for skills in strategic planning, project management, and PR — along with soft skills in leadership, critical thinking, and adaptability.
How To Become a Political Consultant
If you aspire to join this field, you need a combination of education and experience in politics. Many employers prefer candidates with an undergraduate and a master’s degree in a political field, plus hard skills in research and writing.
Networking is particularly critical in politics. When you build authentic relationships with others in politics, you can open doors to new careers, mentorship opportunities, and other kinds of work experience. Networking is also essential to build relationships with constituents and other stakeholders that can benefit the campaign by which you’re employed.
It’s also important to stay continually educated as your career advances. Politics is a field that constantly changes. New candidates, policies, and technologies can change your responsibilities as a political consultant. This evolution makes continued education even more important when navigating the ever-changing political landscape.
Education and Skills Required
Political consultants often begin their careers with a bachelor’s degree in political science, public administration, or a related field. Many go on to obtain a master’s degree in global business administration, where they become even more familiar with important concepts like international law, data analytics, and business operations. This program provides valuable skills in management and leadership, which become even more important when building a strategy for a political campaign.
Here are a few more skills you need to succeed in this career:
- Analytical thinking: Political consultants need an aptitude for identifying challenges, analyzing those challenges, and solving them in ways that preserve resources and candidates’ reputations.
- Communication: Political consultants must be able to articulate ideas clearly and concisely, particularly when working alongside other campaign contributors.
- Time management: Political consultants juggle public events, internal management strategies, and other commitments, making time management and prioritization crucial in this role.
Political consultants also need a thorough understanding of political processes. They need a familiarity with law-making processes, election standards, voter regulations, and the roles of each government branch and committee.
Typical Career Path and Progression
Not all political consultants follow the same path to professional success. Some complete internships with local, state, or federal candidates, which provide hands-on experience in day-to-day campaign duties. Others get their start by volunteering with a campaign or through local government events like an election, voter registration, or government office work.
Many political consultants follow a less traditional path to the role. Some fulfill an international relations career before transferring to political consulting. Others transition from international business careers, where skills in marketing, problem-solving, and finance translate into the world of politics. People with consulting careers can also transition into politics, using overlapping skills in business intelligence and political risk to inform campaign strategies.