For consultants uninterested in taking on the federal advocacy fights looming on the horizon, or whose 2018 clients are playing wait-and-see with President-elect Trump, there is an alternative. Go abroad.
International campaign work will be plentiful for the next two years and overseas candidates aren’t doing any second-guessing of U.S. consultants’ expertise in the wake of 2016, at least according to Tom Edmonds, a former chairman of the IAPC: “It’s still an export market for American consultants.”
Having a successful firm domestically can attract international business, if the shop is looking for it.
“If you’re successful here then people want to hire you in other countries,” Edmonds said. “There’s a little bit of that rockstar mentality that takes place.”
Croatian consultant Marko Rakar, who became head of the European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC) earlier this year, explained to C&E that in Europe particularly, “There is much to learn from U.S. consultants and the desire to learn it.”
The next two years will see a host of major elections in Africa, Europe and South America. Securing work on a campaign a continent away is challenging — networking is key, consultants who have worked internationally say — and once a contract is signed, execution can set up its own set of difficulties.
While language barriers are often broken by translators and hired drivers, international campaigns almost always require the U.S. consultant to work through a local intermediary, said Edmonds. The good news, he added, is that “there are now good professional consultants all over the world.”
Still, there can be work culture differences, and the tactics and data available here in the United States often don’t have equivalents abroad. Polling, for instance, is often done through in-person canvassing in the developing world. “You can’t just make cold calls in these countries,” said Edmonds.
That means consultants with a certain set of skills are sought after. Digital work is what led the Democratic firm GPS Impact to work with Mohamed Abdirizak, a candidate in the upcoming Somali presidential election.
“We are working with him on building out an aggressive social media/web presence that has really never been seen with a Somali politician before,” said Mark Langgin. “Pretty fascinating.”
Abdirizak, who served as the Somalia country director for the National Democratic Institute from 2010-2014, said the challenges of a campaign without a direct vote (delegates representing clans elect the lawmakers who then vote on the president) made an American firm’s digital expertise essential.
“It is the smart thing to do — a lot of Somalis use the Internet, especially the younger generation,” Abdirizak said. “For those outside [of Somalia], it’s a great way to connect with them.”
Abdirizak said on-the-ground campaigning in the country is especially difficult because of the security situation. “Inside Somalia, particularly in the South, it’s nearly impossible to hold a rally,” he said. For any people to come out, you have to do it at a hotel and then it becomes costlier.”
Candidate security is also an issue, he explained. “I travel with a large convoy of security. That’s costly, too.”
Still, Abdirizak said he does travel for face-to-face meetings with potential supporters. During those exchanges, he often finds himself giving impromptu lessons on the democratic process.
“People have to participate,” he said. “That’s the only way you can see change.”