Answers · Running for office

How do you run for office with no political experience?

By Mert Yerekapan, maker of Midterms 2026 · Updated 2026-10-28

Start small and treat it like starting a business. Check the legal requirements for the office, pick a race you can realistically win, recruit a few people who will knock on doors for you, and build a clear message. You don't need prior office, only a reason voters can remember.

Step 1: Pick the right office

I think the biggest mistake first-timers make is aiming too high. A Senate seat takes millions of dollars. A city council, school board, or county seat can be won by a few hundred or a few thousand votes. Winning there gives you experience and a track record.

Check the basics for any office:

Age, citizenship and residency rules
The filing deadline
Whether the race is partisan (with party labels) or nonpartisan
Filing fees or petition signatures, which vary by place

Step 2: Learn the local landscape

Find out who ran last time, how many votes won, and what the local issues are. County election offices often publish past results. Go to a few meetings of the body you want to join. You'll learn the vocabulary and notice who's missing from the room.

Step 3: Build a team

You don't need a staff. You need a handful of people who will commit. Roles to fill early:

Someone to handle money and the legal paperwork
A few volunteers for door knocking and phone calls
A friend who can honestly tell you when your message is confusing

Step 4: Pick two or three issues

Voters won't remember ten ideas. Choose a few that match what people in your area already complain about, and say them in plain words.

Step 5: Talk to voters

Candidates with no experience often win by being the person who actually showed up at the door. Raise money from people you know first, since early donors signal you're serious.

A low-stakes way to practice

If you want to feel the sequence before committing, I made Midterms 2026, a free iPhone game where you start a party from nothing. Each turn gives you a few actions and some campaign money, and you decide whether to open an office, go on TV, or meet citizens and answer their problems. Good answers build political power. It won't make you a candidate, but it teaches the trade-offs quickly.

What I'd do

Pick a local office with a modest number of voters
Talk to someone who has run before and ask what surprised them
Commit to a schedule of door knocking, even a few hours a week