Political Party Organizations

There are many entry-level and career track opportunities available within the national committees of the Democrat and Republican parties. During an election year, the party committees can be one of the best bets for finding an entry-level position and gaining experience and contacts (although many of the positions end immediately following the elections in November).

The party committees hire entry-level positions in their finance, research, communications, and political departments. While there will be some differences, the committees, both Democratic and Republican, are organized along the same lines and present similar opportunities:

Research: Entry-level researchers will study the records of candidates from the opposition party and compile information that can be used against the candidates in media relations and advertising. This may include researching legislative votes, conducting Lexis-Nexis searches of newspaper stories, and interviewing people familiar with the candidate. At the higher levels, researchers will help to build a compelling case that can be used against the candidate, much like a prosecutor might build the case against a defendant. Additionally, many researchers are responsible for specific areas of public policy and are tasked with preparing issue briefs for use by campaigns.

Political: This position is also known as Field. Entry-level political employees assist the party's candidates by playing a coordinating role between the national party and the candidate's campaign. They often serve in an administrative capacity coordinating campaign funding assistance, setting up schedules when the candidates visit Washington, or tracking polling data. At the higher levels, political professionals advise campaigns on strategy and make decisions about which races to fund with party finances. They also manage the activities of outside consultants, including advertising firms and pollsters.

Communications: At the entry-level positions, communications staffers will maintain national media lists, take messages from reporters looking for information on the party's election strategy, and disseminate press releases and other materials. With experience, communications staffers will be given responsibility for writing and editing press releases and talking points, scheduling media interviews for the committee chairman, and speaking on background with reporters. At the highest level, communications professionals speak on the record with the media and advise candidates and national party leaders on communications strategies.

Finance: Since financial contributions are the lifeblood of politics, the finance departments of the party committees rely on a large staff of fundraisers, and there are many entry-level opportunities available. Inexperienced hires typically work on the administrative aspects of fundraising, such as maintaining databases of donors, tracking mail solicitations, and helping to set up and staff large fundraising events. As fundraisers advance, they receive responsibility for raising money directly from large donors and political action committees, or managing direct mail or phone bank fundraising. At the highest level, fundraisers set financial targets and are responsible for ensuring that fundraising goals are met.