Who's Actually Getting Benefits on Campaigns?

Eric is joined by Dustin Tropp, founder of Republican Jobs, to unpack the 2026 Political Careers Survey — 427 political professionals on pay, benefits, and whether they're sticking around.The headline finding: it's not the job that determines whether campaign work is a real career, it's the employer. Staff at a firm or committee report just 16% with zero benefits. Staff hired directly by a campaign? 64% with nothing. Same candidates, same work, wildly different security — and Dustin explains why campaigns can't fix it on their own.They also get into why senior campaign hires are taking two to three months to fill this cycle, why hiring is shifting from March to November, what happens once a staffer crosses the $125K mark, and why field organizers — the least automatable job in politics — are still among the worst paid. Plus: what the survey found on AI (42% say it's changed how they work, only 12% see it as a threat), and why employers aren't paying for the extra output they're getting from it yet.Dustin also shares real-time hiring data most surveys miss: 107 open roles, where the shortages are worst, and what he's telling clients about paying below-market rates.Visit our website: CampaignTrend.com