Diversity Isn’t a Checkbox. It’s a Campaign Strategy That’s Essential for the Industry’s Future.

The first time the two of us met in 2009 at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, it felt sort of like we were living out the Spiderman pointing meme years before it became a part of internet lore. 

We were two South Asian political operatives working in Democratic politics when there weren’t many, so there was a novelty associated with the moment — not entirely unlike when our parents would run into other South Asians in their own communities after immigrating to the United States.  

In moments like those, our parents told us, they would often find themselves overcome with emotion by seeing one of their own out in the wild. Our experience was not very different. But considering there were only four or five other political operatives of color at the DCCC during the 2010 cycle, our meeting symbolized something bigger: Representation in the upper echelons of our party at a time when that kind of representation was rare.

Fast forward to 2025 and the Democratic Party has come a long way. Black, Latino and AAPI operatives have run presidential campaigns, held senior roles at independent expenditure and party committees and are infinitely more visible on the campaign trail. That’s worth celebrating. But there’s still a long way to go. The industry as a whole — from the operative level to the ranks of senior consultants — still lacks diversity. It’s imperative for our party to do more to address this challenge for a simple reason: It helps us win elections. 

Our party doesn’t exist without voters of color. And as we learned in 2024, even marginal drops in support could prove catastrophic. Recruiting candidates of color also isn’t enough. If a campaign wants to successfully mobilize diverse voters, it doesn’t make sense to leave the people from those communities out of the decision making when it comes to strategy and execution. The need for cultural competency has never been greater, and as we enter yet another pivotal cycle, we encourage our colleagues to take action.

For starters, campaigns, firms and committees should prioritize diversity in their hiring practices and reimagine how we define “experience.” When hiring a communications director, for example, we’ve all been guilty of believing the best candidate had previously served as a press assistant, deputy press secretary and press secretary on both Capitol Hill and on campaigns. That approach limits our ability to find diverse talent. We’re currently seeing renewed enthusiasm across the electorate, with more individuals looking to enter our industry, so we shouldn’t disregard candidates from different industries that look non-traditional. This is key to finding diverse talent that can work with cultural competency for our target audiences.  

We also need to invest in training and talent cultivation. It’s not enough to hire a diverse candidate and hope they figure it out — even if they have transferable skills from another industry. Our industry is unlike any other, so without clear, intentional training, we’re not setting people up for success. Countless organizations already have infrastructure in place to equip individuals with the skills needed to be successful in electoral campaign work. Now is the time to leverage this infrastructure. 

At the same time, talent cultivation is critical. We were proud to launch a first-of-its-kind fellowship in 2021 in partnership with nearly a dozen other consulting firms that brought underrepresented individuals into our industry, trained them and helped them find jobs. The fellowship allowed us to invest in building a bench of talent that went on to work on various campaigns and committees. We need more comprehensive programs like ours to stay relevant with the American electorate.  

After hiring and training, we need to empower staff to do their jobs. In practice, that could mean relying on more junior, diverse staffers, whose consumption habits are likely to be more aligned with those of the electorate, when evaluating media plans, scripts and creative. 

This is particularly important when it comes to creative that’s intended for diverse audiences. If you’re shipping creative that isn’t culturally competent, you may as well be lighting money on fire. It also means genuinely soliciting input, being okay with potentially uncomfortable conversions and acting on feedback to change course if necessary. 

Collectively, these efforts can help us win in the short term, but also strengthen our party for cycles to come. We all know how the consulting industry works. Before you become a partner at a firm, you’re going to need to spend a lot of time on the campaign trail cultivating expertise. But if we don’t intentionally diversify the talent pipeline, we’re never going to achieve our goals across the upper echelons of our industry to build long-term power. We must take this seriously, and we have to act now. 

We’re glad that we’re no longer the only people of color in every room we enter. But it still happens. The current moment presents a real opportunity for progress. We can’t afford to let it pass us by.

Raghu Devaguptapu is the Managing Partner of TKO Political and Buying.Shripal Shah is a Senior Advisor for House Majority PAC.