You Won the Primary: 90-Day Campaign Checklist

You're on the ballot. Now what?

Winning a primary is a meaningful milestone. But most first-time women candidates in local races arrive at this moment without a campaign manager, without a political consultant, and without a clear picture of what the next 90 days actually require. The women who lose winnable local races almost always lose them in June and July — not because they stopped working, but because they worked on the wrong things.

This checklist tells you what to do, in what order, during each phase of the campaign. Not general advice. Not theory. A specific, prioritized action plan built for women running for local office in small and mid-market communities — the places where the major training organizations don't operate and professional campaign consulting isn't available or affordable.

What's inside:

Phase 1 — Build the foundation (June–July)

Phase 2 — Activate voters (August)

Phase 3 — Earn trust (September)

Phase 4 — Close strong (October through Election Day)

Each phase includes a note from Joanne explaining why that work matters and where most first-time candidates get it wrong.

Who this is for:

This checklist is for the woman who just won her primary and isn't sure what to do next — who has the motivation and the community relationships but needs a clear, honest picture of what the next 90 days require. It is also for the woman considering a future run who wants to understand what a real campaign looks like before she commits.

It is not for major-market candidates with campaign staff and party infrastructure. It was built for the school board candidate, the city council candidate, the township trustee, the county commissioner — the women running for the offices that shape daily life in communities across the country.

About the creator:

Joanne Tica, MATD is a specialist in adult education and training facilitation with deep expertise in capacity building for community leaders and women in civic life. She created Candidate Playbook because the training gap for women candidates in small and mid-market communities was real, documented, and fixable. This checklist is drawn directly from the campaign phase modules of Candidate Playbook, the same material used by women running for local office across the country.

What you receive:

Instant PDF download, optimized for both screen reading and printing. The checklist is stamped with your name and email address at the time of purchase. This document is licensed for your personal use only.

Want more than a checklist?

This checklist tells you what to do. Candidate Playbook tells you how. Bundle 3 — Campaign and Connect — covers the full active campaign phase with seven training modules, worksheets, and step-by-step guidance. The checklist is included as a bonus for Bundle 3 enrollees. Learn more at candidateplaybook.com.

Questions? Contact jtica@candidateplaybook.com or book a free 30-minute call at calendly.com/jtica.

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LICENSE: This document is licensed to the individual purchaser for personal, non-commercial use only. Redistribution, reproduction, or use in any training or educational program is prohibited. Copyright 2026 Certified Impact LLC. All Rights Reserved.