You want to make a difference. So, you protest, you march, and you vote. But is it time to take the next step and run for yourself? If you’ve been thinking “not yet” through 2017 and 2018, NOW is the time to get started for 2019, or even for 2020! It’s never to soon to get started.

In this episode of the Election University Podcast, our host Jason Bennett talks with Dean Nielsen of Cerillion N4 Partners about preparing to run for office. They talk list-building, storytelling, stump speeches, fundraising, and more on this informative and inspiring episode. Tune in for practical tips and tricks that will save you time and money on the campaign trail. Get organized, and ready, set, run! Dean Nielsen is a principal at Cerillion N4 Partners. Cerillion is a national political consulting firm that works in more than 37 states, in races from Congressional to City Council. Previously, Dean served as the National Political Director for Progressive Majority. He also founded the Institute for a Democratic Future to recruit and train the progressive policymakers of our future.

You can access some of Cerillion’s free resources, like the Quick Start Guide to Winning your Election and the Photo Guide to Win Votes on the Cerillion N4 Partner's website here. You can read more about the study out of Princeton that found that snap judgments determined election outcome with 70% accuracy here. You can find more campaign resources and information at Wellstone.org.

Listeners, we want to hear from you! Are you preparing to run? What did you think of our guide? First-time candidates, what do you wish you had known before you dropped your name in the hat? What topic should we tackle next? We want to know! Send us an email at podcast@electionu.com or leave us a note or a review in the comment section below. You just might be the next guest on the Election University podcast!

You can listen to the show right here on the EU website or by subscribing in iTunes, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Spotify, Stitcher, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, and more! If you do subscribe, please leave us a rating and review. We love the feedback and we read every one! If you'd like to hear a particular topic on our podcast, please email podcast@electionu.com. As always, thanks for listening!