Politics and Change: A Political Resignation

I never aspired to a career in politics, but when you pound the pavement in Washington, DC, the odds are pretty good you’ll end up there. On the outskirts of Georgetown, in a partially subterranean office that looked out onto a park, I found work that felt meaningful and fulfilling.

For the last fifteen years, I’ve worked in political advocacy communications. I’ve reached across the aisle to produce media plans for bipartisan legislation, been in the weeds of dozens of Congressional campaigns, and continued my work in freelance, adding local-level political work to my resume.

I’ve done this work through industry highs and lows: navigating the predictable ebb and flow of several campaign cycles, many inconvenient government shutdowns, and one completely unexpected pandemic. I’ve done it because I believe in the power of political advocacy to inspire change and support our democracy.

My convictions haven’t changed—but politics have.

The Good Change

The rise of digital-first campaigning has prompted a seismic shift in the reluctant-to-change political industry, transforming how we reach voters. Politics may lag behind other industries—I was still running print ads as recently as 2019—but these advances offer opportunities to craft data-driven campaigns that broaden access to information and reach targeted voters with unprecedented accuracy.

The challenge—and the opportunity—is embracing these changes thoughtfully so that messaging isn’t so narrowly targeted that we create echo chambers. In a rapidly digitized media landscape, with increasingly fatigued voters, we must find ways to maintain authenticity and humanity. And, for the good of society, let’s hope we’re nearing the end of media strategies padded excessively with political text messages.

The Bad Change

Allow me a moment to show my age and idealism: when I began my career, there seemed to be more space for campaigns built on inspiration and a collective vision for our country’s future. Perhaps the 2008 Obama campaign—with its bold use of new media to inspire and excite voters—has painted my view of the political marketing past too rosily, but I still believed that an innovative and authentic campaign could make an impact.

Today, the landscape feels different.

A chasmed collective now holds two distinct visions, with a widening gulf of partisanship that now dominates every conversation. The loudest voices lean on fear and outrage, fueling an us vs. them, winner-take-all mentality. Election strategies have become increasingly gamified—“winning” is the only true metric of success. While political communications can still thrive in this place, it’s harder to create messaging that both resonates authentically and cuts through the cynicism and misinformation.

For those of us concerned with the broader implications of these changes, this shift is disheartening.

The Big Change

I find myself now at a crossroads in my career, faced with both a growing unease for the direction in which my industry is heading, and the daunting prospect of starting over elsewhere. I believe deeply that political communications can be a force for transformative change—there is so much worth fighting for. Ultimately, though, my decision comes down to the money.

In 2012, the total federal election spending was $6.3 billion. In 2016, spending rose slightly to $6.5 billion. By 2020, that number had ballooned to $15.1 billion, more than double the 2012 total. While many variables fueled that explosion—from digital ad costs to regulatory gaps—a growing share of political funding now comes from out-of-state donors, PACs, and large interest groups, rather than from the constituents in represented districts. In the 2024 cycle, only about 17.6% of itemized contributions to House campaigns came from within the candidate’s own district.

This dramatic shift has roots in the pivotal 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. The Court struck down restrictions on independent political expenditures by corporations and unions, framing them as protected free speech under the First Amendment. The ruling opened the door to unlimited independent spending through PACs and other outside groups, fundamentally altering how campaigns are funded.

Mega-donors and super PACs—groups with questionable transparency and unlimited resources to hire marketers like me—have injected vast sums of money into the field, granting them unprecedented influence over the tone, direction, and priorities of a campaign.

The Supreme Court term beginning this October is expected to rule on NRSC v. FEC. If upheld as anticipated, the ruling would eliminate coordinated expenditure limits for political parties, allowing unlimited direct contributions from wealthy donors to candidates.

Money is changing the nature of political campaign strategy far faster than technology or partisan shifts.

An industry I believe in has become constrained by forces that fundamentally change the way it feels to do this work. With these forces reshaping an industry that I love, I’ve begun to question whether staying in political communications aligns with my values, even when the values of my clients do. That is why I’m ready to begin a new chapter outside the political realm.

The Next Change

As I take this next step, I’m seeking opportunities to apply my communications experience in industries outside of politics—spaces where I can still create purposeful work that I truly love.

I am not without hope for the future of our political landscape and the integral role of marketing and money in shaping political messaging. Critical changes are required, and I have faith in the American people to effect them. But these changes are not yet on the horizon, and I want to spend the rest of my career knowing I’m doing what I love without questioning the morality of my efforts.

To friends and colleagues: This is not judgment or criticism. It’s not a rallying cry for political marketers to burn their paychecks and eschew commissions in protest. Individual marketers rarely see earnings proportionate to rising budgets, and campaign finance reform is bigger than any one career. The work you do is integral to our democracy. I still very much believe that to be true. The political communications industry supports many, and it will continue to evolve—but hopefully with a little more transparency, a little less cynicism, and much smaller budgets for political text messaging.

To learn more about campaign finance reform visit the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses policy advocacy and public education to strengthen campaign finance regulations.

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