American Association of Political Consultants - AAPC

The American Association of Political Consultants, founded in 1969, is a nonpartisan organization of political professionals. Association membership consists of political consultants, media consultants, pollsters, campaign managers, corporate public affairs officers, professors, fund-raisers, lobbyists, congressional staffers and vendors and is open to everyone associated with politics from the local level to the White House. The association now numbers more than 1,100 active members, and operates from a permanent office in Washington, D.C.

More than 500,000 public elections are held in the United States each year. More than a billion dollars is spent yearly on campaign communication. Political consultants can do everything or specialize in one specific service. A recent issue of Campaigns & Elections Magazine lists more than 56 separate job categories of political professionals. In addition, a growing number of corporations, public interest groups, labor and other entities interested in public policy are hiring political consultants as members of their public relations, public affairs, or advocacy teams.

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