Before You Run for Office, Ask Yourself These 7 Questions
Levi Asher
Jan 26, 2026
After Donald Trump was elected in 2016, thousands of new people across the country decided to run for office. That moment on November 8 motivated a lot of folks to take a hard look at their local politics and consider jumping in themselves.
That instinct isn’t wrong. But deciding to run for office is a major life decision. Sustaining a campaign for months can strain your relationships, your finances, and your family in ways most first-time candidates do not fully anticipate. Before you file paperwork or tell the people closest to you, it’s worth pausing to ask yourself a few hard questions.
These questions will not tell you whether you should run. But they will tell you whether you are ready.
1. Why are you running?
The first question I ask potential candidates is simple: why are you running? You can usually tell pretty quickly who has a clear and authentic answer and who hasn’t fully thought it through yet.
Knowing your why, and why now, matters more than most people realize. You will be asked this question constantly by voters, donors, volunteers, and the press. More importantly, you will need your answer during the hardest moments of the campaign, when fundraising is slow, criticism is loud, and the finish line feels far away.
If you cannot clearly explain why you are running, take a step back before moving forward. A strong campaign starts with a reason that can carry you through the entire race, not just the excitement of getting started.
2. What office are you running for?
Deciding what office to run for is one of the most important choices you will make, because it largely determines whether your campaign can succeed. Far too often, I see candidates run for Congress in districts held by Republicans by 20 points or more while setting their goal as winning outright.
There is real value in having candidates in every race. For the long term health of the party and our democracy, showing up everywhere matters. But if your goal is to win and actually have power to improve people’s lives, you may need to start smaller than your ambitions initially suggest. Local offices like school board or city council are often far more winnable and far more impactful than people realize. Raising $100,000 in a local election can be transformative. Raising $100,000 for Congress does not even get you started.
3. What are your goals for this campaign?
Once you have decided what office to run for, you can set realistic goals for the race. If you are running in a competitive election, the goal is straightforward: win. But if you are not running in a competitive district, there are still meaningful goals you can pursue.
One option is forcing an issue into the debate. In 2019, when Julián Castro’s presidential campaign hit its ceiling, he began using his platform to push immigration to the center of the national conversation. At the local level, this is harder to do, but it can still matter when done intentionally.
Another option is preparing for a future run. If you are running in a Republican seat that is trending Democratic, committing to multiple cycles can be a smart strategy. Doing so allows you to build name recognition over time, expand your donor list, and develop the skills you will need to be competitive when the race eventually opens up.
Finally, there is value in keeping an incumbent accountable. Every officeholder should have someone asking hard questions and demanding results. Whether through debates, public forums, earned media, or paid communication, challengers play an important role in holding incumbents to their promises and to the needs of their district. This is especially important at a moment when Republicans in Congress are cutting health care access and food assistance that families rely on.
4. How much time can you commit?
Running for office is a full time job, especially if you are running in a competitive race. Fundraising alone can feel like a part time job. Most candidates need to spend 15 to 20 hours a week on call time, and that is before you factor in events, meetings, door knocking, and media.
That time has to come from somewhere. Campaigns mean long weeknights, early mornings, and weekends spent away from family and friends. These are tradeoffs you should think through honestly and talk about with the people closest to you before you decide to run. One of the best things you can do early is sit down with your campaign team and block out 5 to 10 hours a week of protected family time. Be prepared to move it when necessary, but treat it as non negotiable unless absolutely required.
5. How much money can you raise?
The first step is understanding what you can realistically raise early. Start with your immediate network of friends and family and get a clear sense of what support exists there. Then look at the race itself and determine how much money is needed to be competitive.
If you are unsure what that number looks like, ask someone who has run campaigns before. That might be a campaign manager, a consultant, or someone with experience in similar races. Once you understand both your early money and your overall target, it is time to build a real finance plan. Every race is different, donor universes vary, and getting this right usually requires a professional team. The earlier you do this work, the clearer your path forward will be.
6. What will it take to win?
Wanting to win is not the same as knowing how to win. This is the question many first time candidates struggle with the most, and it is one you should not try to answer alone.
Before you file, talk with someone who has run campaigns before. That might be a consultant, a campaign manager, or a former candidate who knows the race. You should walk away with a clear picture of what a winning campaign actually looks like. How much money needs to be raised. Which issues will matter most to voters. How many votes you need and who those voters are. Every race has its own math and its own strategy, and ignoring that reality does not make it go away. Having clear expectations up front will help you decide whether running makes sense and what it will take to do it well.
7. Are you ready for what happens if you lose — or if you win?
Running for office means agreeing to a public outcome, no matter how the race ends. Losing is not private. It happens in front of your community, your donors, your family, and the people who took a chance on you. How you handle that moment matters. It shapes whether people trust you again, whether you are taken seriously in future fights, and whether your work continues beyond one election.
Winning carries its own consequences. It is permanent. Once you take office, the campaign ends and accountability begins. Too many candidates plan obsessively for Election Day and give little thought to the day after. Ask yourself now whether you can lose with grace if you come up short and whether, if you win, you can govern with discipline, humility, and follow through.
A Better Way to Decide
Running for office is meaningful work. It is one of the most direct ways to shape your community and take responsibility for the future you want to see. Because of that, it deserves more than impulse or ambition alone. It deserves honest preparation.
You do not need to have every answer today. Most candidates figure things out as they go. But you do need to ask the right questions before you start. Doing that work early does not make you weaker or less committed. It makes you more likely to run a campaign that is thoughtful, sustainable, and worth the effort no matter how the race ends.
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I will be writing more about how campaigns actually work, the decisions candidates face, and the realities people do not always talk about. And if you are seriously considering a run and want to talk through these questions, you can always reach out.