‘They Want Stability’: Political Pros Face Pay, Career Pressures

Many campaign professionals on the right are struggling with financial and career advancement challenges, even as the politics industry as a whole finds itself increasingly flush with cash.

A new study from the GOP-aligned Center for Campaign Innovation, in partnership with the referral and headhunting agency Republican Jobs, paints a picture of an industry grappling with the long-term sustainability of its workforce.

While most professionals surveyed as part of the study said they’re driven by the mission of campaign work and plan to remain in the industry long term, the report also underscores the simmering frustrations among many practitioners over pay, benefits and demanding workloads.

“The big takeaway for me is that, for as much money as is flowing through this industry, we can do more to take care of the people who are really on the front lines talking to voters — the people who are in this for the right reasons and want to work hard, but can’t do it for very long before you get burnt out, before you hit the maximum salary,” Eric Wilson, the executive director of the Center for Campaign Innovation, told Campaigns & Elections.

The study — based on responses from 246 Republican political workers ranging from campaign staffers and consultants to vendors and advocacy professionals — found a wide range of salaries across the industry, though more than half of respondents reported earning less than $80,000 a year, and one in five said they make under $40,000.

Roughly a fifth of respondents reported earning over $100,000 a year, according to the study. Most — 59 percent — said they don’t receive any form of additional pay, like performance or win bonuses, while some said they are given small benefits like mileage reimbursements or housing allowances.

Only 42 percent of respondents said they are satisfied with their pay, while nearly a third said they are dissatisfied.

Lingering Frustrations

The pay gaps aren’t necessarily due to a lack of experience in the profession. Nearly two-thirds of respondents — 61 percent — reported having four or more years of paid political and public affairs experience. But even with that experience, some haven’t yet cleared $60,000 a year, the report found.

One frustration among campaign professionals, according to the study, was that professional connections and personal networks are often prioritized in the industry over real-world experience and skills. In several cases, respondents expressed a desire for a clearer path to career advancement.

“There were surprising comments about people just sort of being frustrated with not being rewarded for hard work,” Wilson said. “And that speaks a bit to the timing and luck of political campaigns. If you’re on a winning campaign, everything is going great for you. But if you’re having a string of bad luck and your candidate’s not winning, you’re still inching up in experience, but you’re not climbing the perceived ladder.”

There’s also the seasonality of the work. Just under half of respondents — 49 percent — said they are employed full time, while another 17 percent identified as freelancers or consultants. Another 17 percent said they are unemployed but currently seeking work. Because of the cyclical nature of campaign work, many professionals said they struggle with not receiving a steady paycheck between gigs.

That unpredictability, Wilson said, remains an obstacle for the industry when it comes to cultivating and maintaining high-quality talent. Even experienced practitioners might be tempted to leave the industry to find more consistent work, especially as they start families and take on financial obligations like home ownership, he said.

‘It’s the Spaces in Between’

Benefits also remain relatively scarce among Republican campaign professionals, the study found. Just 49 percent of respondents reported receiving health insurance coverage. Forty-one percent said they receive retirement contributions, while 44 percent reported getting paid time off.

Still, 43 percent said they receive no benefits at all, according to the study.

Many of the frustrations and struggles reported in the study aren’t new. Political work has long been unpredictable, nepotism has existed in the industry since its inception and campaign professionals have faced burnout in every election cycle. Wilson noted that health insurance coverage has improved over the years, even though it remains sparse.

There have also been concerted efforts to address some of these issues. A growing number of campaigns and consultancies on the left have unionized in recent years in an effort to push for better pay and benefits, and to attract and retain top talent.

But Wilson said that the idea of unionization didn’t come up at all in the responses of Republican practitioners.

The report instead offers several recommendations for addressing the industry’s long-term sustainability: Concerted efforts to provide health insurance and other benefits to campaign workers across election cycles, creating clearer paths to career advancement, establishing professional development programs and encouraging donors to commit to multi-year funding efforts for advocacy groups that could offer more employment continuity.

“One of the things I want to keep exploring and talking to folks about is: what can we do to attract and retain high-quality talent?” Wilson said. “What can we do to stabilize the inconsistency? Is there an option for some sort of place they can go to work on their skills and that pays them a stipend between campaigns?”

Despite the frustrations among political professionals, 70 percent of respondents said they plan to remain in politics for the long haul, the study found — even as pessimism and disillusionment with the business linger.

“They understand the demand for long hours and the hard work that being on a campaign requires,” Wilson said. “But it’s the spaces in between. They want stability and a career path.”