# How to Run for State Office July 4, 2021 19 minute read Getting Started Eric Taylor Chief of Staff Running for a state office is a great way to make a difference in your state and impact your local communities. As a state elected official, you can influence policies, programs, and laws in numerous areas of life: - Education - Healthcare - Economic development - Conservation - Infrastructure - Law enforcement - Human rights - And more! But running a political campaign for the first time can feel like a lot to take on. You might be wondering where to start, how to raise money, or how to encourage people to vote for you. Well, worry no more! This handy guide will teach you specifically how to run for state office. Here, you’ll learn what research to conduct and what strategies to use to build a successful campaign. Ready to begin? ## Start at the Beginning Before you can start fundraising or building your campaign, you must zero in on and understand the office that you’re running for. This section will help you navigate the research necessary to answer some key questions. ### What offices can I run for? Like the federal government, state governments are divided into three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative. The office you choose to run for will depend upon your professional and lived experience. Not sure how your specific experiences translate into picking a certain office? That’s okay. Examining the types of offices in each branch will help you start to narrow things down. #### State Executive Offices The [executive branch of the state government](https://ballotpedia.org/State_executive_offices) oversees the application and enforcement of new and existing laws. Here’s a list of the commonly elected offices for the state executive branch: - Governor - Secretary of State - Attorney General - Superintendent of Schools - Treasurer - Auditor - Commissioners (natural resources, insurance, labor, public service, etc.) Not all executive officials are elected; some are appointed. Whether a position is filled through election or appointment will also vary state to state. Check with your state’s election website to find out more. #### State Judicial Offices The [judicial branch of the state government](https://ballotpedia.org/Judicial_selection_in_the_states) comprises judges who, again, are either elected or appointed. The process for judicial elections is determined [by the state](https://ballotpedia.org/Judicial_election_methods_by_state) and will outline the following aspects: - Whether judges are elected or appointed - Whether there are judicial terms and [retention voting](https://ballotpedia.org/Retention_election) - Whether the elections are partisan or non-partisan For example, Indiana has retention elections for several of the courts that take place every 4–10 years. Meanwhile, Vermont holds partisan elections but only probate courts are elected. #### State Legislative Offices The legislative branch of state government contains the State Senate and the State House of Representatives, sometimes called the State Assembly. This branch is the lawmaking branch of the state government, which means that you’ll help research, write, and oversee new bills for the state. State legislative offices are elected positions (unless your state fills vacancies through appointments instead of special elections). State laws and constitutions determine several aspects of the legislature: - Age and residency requirements to run - Total number of senators and representatives in the legislature - What term limits will apply Terms are usually 2–4 years in length, and some states will have term limits that set the number of terms a person can serve. Visit your state legislature’s website to learn the specific rules for your state. Not sure where to look? [Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/state-legislature-websites) has an interactive U.S. map that will let you look up legislative websites by state. Knowing the office you want to run for is only part of the early research you should conduct. You’ll also need to know your chances of winning by understanding who’s already in office, what their [campaign budget was like](/content/blog/how-to-run-for-office/political-fundraising/index.html), and what kind of support they have. ### Who are my state elected officials? Figuring out who is already in office is easy once you’ve found the website for the branch of state government for which you’d like to run. ### What were the election results in the last election? In this section, we’ll dig into your state’s election website. These sites are home to a lot of election data that will help you understand the present and historical voting trends of your area. The FEC has a [State Election Offices directory](https://www.fec.gov/introduction-campaign-finance/how-to-research-public-records/state-election-offices/) for a shortcut to finding the appropriate site in your state. ### Fundraising Fundraising is the cornerstone of a political campaign. Without a healthy budget, you won’t be able to pay for a campaign staff, marketing, or canvassing. The amount of money you raise can also lend credibility to your campaign, signaling to contributors outside your network that you’re a viable candidate to invest in. ### What do I need to start fundraising? [**Campaign finance laws**](/content/blog/how-to-run-for-office/campaign-finance-laws/index.html) require keeping all personal funds separate from campaign funds. To begin fundraising, you’ll therefore need to [set up your political campaign](/content/blog/how-to-run-for-office/how-to-start-a-political-campaign/index.html). Here are the steps to do just that: 1. Register as a candidate by forming a political committee. 2. Get an [EIN](https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/political-organizations/employer-identification-number-political-organizations) from the IRS. 3. Open a bank account with [an appropriate bank](/content/blog/how-to-run-for-office/how-to-start-a-political-campaign/#:~:text=according%20to%20the%20fec%2C%20your%20campaign%20bank%20account%20must%20be%20issued%20through%20one%20of%20the%20following%3A%20a%20national%20bank%2C%20state%20bank%2C%20or%20fdic-%20or%20ncua-insured%20institution.%20/index.html). Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s answer some important questions and summarize your research. ## Building the Campaign Budget You’ll need to consider a range of expenses when you’re [building your campaign budget](/content/blog/how-to-run-for-office/political-campaign-budget/index.html). Here are some of the common expenses you’ll encounter: - **Overhead expenses:** You’ll need to pay for things such as a P.O. box, campaign office space, utilities, and traveling expenses. - **Fundraising events:** You’ll need to spend some money on venues, entertainment, and food for your fundraising efforts. - **Staffing:** You’ll need staff for your campaign. - **Marketing:** You’ll need to pay for TV spots, mailers, flyers, yard signs, and social media ads. Ultimately, a good rule of thumb to guide your staffing investment is to keep your spending below 15% of your overall budget, allowing you to reserve the rest for voter contact. ## Voter Outreach State and local elections tend to have a much lower turnout than federal elections. Roughly only [15%–27% of registered voters turn out](https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/ncr-article/increasing-voter-turnout-in-local-elections/) for these smaller elections. ### How do I increase voter turnout for state and local elections? The reasons that voters don’t turn out for down-ticket elections can vary. Here are some of the main reasons: - Not knowing there is an election - Not knowing what issues or offices are being voted on - Not being able to take time off to get to the polls - Not understanding how state or local government functions or affects daily life To counter these factors, take steps to raise awareness about state and local issues and about you as a candidate. ## After the Election Ideally, you’ve won the election and are gearing up for [your first day](/content/blog/first-day-on-the-job/index.html) as an elected state official. You can also use this time to settle your campaign debt by using the remaining campaign funds to pay any outstanding bills. ### Time to Get Started! Running a campaign isn’t easy, but the hardest part is simply getting started. What you’re building now is your foundation for everything: your branding, your donor lists, and your research into voters and peers. So keep learning, and good luck! Eric Taylor is the Chief of Staff of Numero. He has spent over a decade working with hundreds of campaigns across the country.