Plan early, win easier
Build a real plan before you get busy. Most “last-minute heroics” are just the cost of late strategy.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Campaigns
A practical campaign strategy guide
Lessons from Sun Tzu’s Art of War translated into modern, usable campaign discipline: planning, timing, targeting, and resource focus.
If you’ve ever felt like campaigns are chaotic and reactive, this book is built to do the opposite: help you make clear decisions early, so execution becomes simpler and more effective later.
What this book is
The Art of War is a manual on how to set conditions for success before you ever engage. Campaigns are the same. This book translates those principles into modern political work: targeting, persuasion, fundraising, field, digital, and decision-making under constraints.
Concentrate resources
Stop spreading effort thin. Pick the targets that decide the outcome, then focus relentlessly.
Make timing a weapon
Campaigns have seasons. Use the calendar to your advantage; recruit earlier, test earlier, move earlier.
The core principles (made practical)
Each chapter takes a strategic concept and turns it into decisions you can actually make: what to do, when to do it, and what to stop doing. No theory for theory’s sake.
Win before you fight
Define the path to victory early: numbers, targets, and the minimum actions required to reach them.
Know the terrain
District research is not optional. Understand your precincts, vote history, and local coalitions before you “go big.”
Intelligence beats instinct
Use data and feedback loops with calls, doors, and fundraising response to update priorities without losing the plan.
Concentrate force
One strong program beats five weak ones. Field, persuasion, fundraising, and digital should reinforce each other.
Speed and timing
Move earlier than opponents: volunteer recruitment, message testing, coalition building, and earned media.
Discipline under pressure
As the campaign gets louder, keep decision-making quieter: priorities, checklists, and an operating rhythm.
Get the book
If you’re building a plan now, use the book like a workbench: read a chapter, make the decision, apply it, repeat.
FAQ
No. The examples and decisions are built for real-world constraints, especially local and state races where resources are tight. The principles scale up, but the book doesn’t assume you have a large staff.
No. Each chapter starts with the relevant idea from Sun Tzu, then translates it into campaign actions and decision rules. You can read straight through or use it as a reference.
The framework is not partisan. Strategy, targeting, pacing, and resource discipline apply across parties and contexts. The goal is to teach decision-making, not ideology.
You’ll be able to build a clearer plan earlier, choose targets with more confidence, and cut distractions faster. Add on top of that: you’ll have language and structure to keep a team aligned under pressure.