Why Start Your Journey with Workhorse Strategies?

I walked into my first political campaign interview on an early Sunday afternoon in August 2009. It was an in-person interview at one of the most prestigious law offices in South Carolina, and I was joined by one other applicant, also female, the candidate, the candidate’s chief political advisor, and two fundraising consultants who had been flown in from D.C. that morning to give the interviewees a crash course in campaign fundraising.

This is how the journey begins.

.Even though I had a Master’s degree in History from the College of Charleston and a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Political Science and History from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, I had no clue about political campaigns or the complexities of how they operated. I regretfully admit that I was not politically active in college or graduate school (unless you count the NORML meeting I attended once). My political science classes were limited to mostly theory classes that dissected Locke and Rousseau where I read the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Other classes included Contemporary Latin American Politics and the Politics of War. These classes had their own merits and were not without value of course, but none of them taught me anything about the political campaign world.

I had no idea what went into the nuts and bolts of running someone for elected office. I didn’t know what a field program was, the importance of polling, let alone what a policy roll-out entailed. Nine months earlier, I had voted for the nation’s first Black President, Barack Obama, but I don’t think I had even watched a movie about political campaigning.

Nevertheless, after about a two and a half-hour presentation from the fundraising consultants on why people donate money to political campaigns, the basics of call time, and why the candidate should pause after an ask for a donation, they asked if there were any questions. I raised my hand, and out of pure instinct, asked the candidate why I should vote for him over the other candidates running since it was a contested primary. Unbeknownst to me, I had indeliberately asked the candidate to give me what I learned later was called his “stump speech.”

After I asked that question, I guess the guys (and yes, they were all men) thought I knew what I was doing, and before I knew it I was hired as part of the finance team for my first political campaign. About a week into the campaign, I was bitten by the “campaign bug” as they say, and I have had many amazing adventures over the past 11 years. I have met wonderful people from across the country and learned from some of the best political operatives in the business.

I wanted to provide a little bit of that background because I want to let everyone know why they should choose Workhorse Strategies. There are thousands of firms to choose from and to be honest, much like lobbyists and lawyers, political consultants don’t always have the best reputations. Some are known as “grifters” or “swindlers” who care more about making money than the success of their clients. Workhorse Strategies is not one of those firms.

Workhorse Strategies is not your average consulting firm and workhorses thrive on the quality of the oats they eat. That is why Workhorse Strategies is committed to the O.A.T.S. of our mission and the type of work the firm can promise you if you choose us for any or all of our services.

O. On-Time: When a deadline is set, we will meet it. As a client, you deserve to receive what you ask for without excuses and on time.  When there is a conference or zoom call or meeting, we will not be five minutes late without giving prior notice. Time is one of the most essential and valuable aspects of any and all endeavors. Wasted time equals wasted energy and more importantly, wasted money.

A. Accessibility: Workhorse Strategies is always committed to being accessible and available. If we do not provide some sort of answer or reply via phone, text, or email within 24 hours to a request or question, you will receive a 10% discount on your monthly invoice for that month.

T. Throw Out the Cookie Cutters: Run of the mill strategies do not win campaigns or attain the most desired goals. This firm knows that every campaign is different and tactics and messaging should always be tailored to a specific candidate and cycle. It is time to throw out the old playbooks and create new ones that are the right fit for you and what you want to achieve.

S. Special Attention: We will never bite off more than we can chew. No matter how many services we are helping to provide or how big or small your race or locality is, we will treat every client with the same attention and respect. When you sign on with Workhorse Strategies, you can rest assured that every client will be a high priority client.    

Thank you for your time, and we look forward to working with you in the future.

Monica Biddix

Workhorse Strategies, Principal and Founder