March 23, 2010 – Washington, DC
Politics Under 30 caught up with Joe Lestingi, a senior political strategist at The Chadderdon Group – a top direct-mail firm. Joe is a veteran of professional politics, having worked and managed campaigns in Virginia, Nebraska, Louisiana, Texas and Illinois. In 2005, Joe managed Democrat Chuck Caputo’s successful congressional campaign in Virginia, winning in a district that had been held by Republicans since President Lyndon Johnson. Check out the interview:
What is a direct-mail firm? And what does a political strategist do?
Direct mail firms deal with political communications through targeted mail pieces. We write, design and distribute mail piece for candidates to targeted audiences. A political strategist helps build targeted universes and determine strategy and messages that need to go to those universes.
How has new media changed the political consulting industry?
New media’s influence in political consulting is still evolving due to the evolving nature of their effect on the electorate. Due to the passive nature of new media, it is unclear how effective it truly is.
Campaign staffers are known for working long-hours, operating on little sleep and for their sub-par diets on the trail. What does the average day on a political campaign look like from a management perspective? Is there such thing as an “average day”?
There are “average days” within the business which may or may not mirror those in the rest of the world. The truth is that late hours and long days occur more frequently as election day nears. As a manager, the job’s day to day evolves as the campaign progresses. The beginning involves planning, fundraising and managing your team. By mid-cycle a manager is dealing with staff, budget priorities, the campaign team, fundraising and putting out fires. By the end we are putting out fires almost every day.
Describe the ideal campaign staffer that you want working for you.
Good staffers need to be smart, professional and eager to work. They need to understand that the way campaigns appear on TV aren’t really the way they are run in real life.
How did the Semester in Washington Program help prepare you for a career in politics?
SIW really set my career on its current path. In fact, my mentor and current boss was my practicum instructor.
Do you think it’s important for a young politico to experience working a campaign at some point in their career?
This is a must. Understanding campaigns is the key to everything in the political world. In fact, I would say that hill staffers and lobbyist would be best served by having worked on a campaign in the past, because it all begins with the campaigns.
What are a few pieces of advice you would offer to a college student — or a recent college graduate — looking to pursue a career in politics?
Get out there. Get on a campaign and network. Pay attention to what people are doing around you and learn everything you can. There are not enough people in our business that know what they are doing, so finding smart campaign operatives is critical.
