The Business of Political Talent: Who’s Hiring, Who’s Moving and What’s Changing

A talent shortage is pushing some political operatives up the ladder faster than experience warrants, and the traditional paths to career advancement in the campaign space continue to erode.

Those are two realities of the current political job market and where much of the discussion focused on Thursday during a conversation on the longer-term implications for the industry. During an online briefing hosted by Campaigns & Elections, Republican Jobs Founder Dustin Tropp and Powers Interactive CEO Jordan Lieberman analyzed the state of a job market defined by a shortage of talent and fewer advancement opportunities for mid-career professionals.

One result of that shortage on the GOP side, noted Tropp: Many Senate campaigns are now being managed by people who were congressional political directors just one cycle ago, in large part because nearly every manager from last cycle landed at a consulting firm.

A recent survey from Republican Jobs and the Center for Campaign Innovation frames the mid-career issue more acutely: “Once an operative reaches $125,000 or more per year in compensation, job satisfaction plateaus and advancement replaces pay as the dominant retention concern.”

Watch the full briefing above for Tropp and Lieberman’s advice on that mid-career transition and what both expect the political job market to look like after Election Day.