American Association of Political Consultants interview collection

The American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) is the professional organization for people working in the field of politics in the United States. They have joined together to promote the following goals: to raise the standards of practice in political consultation, thereby enhancing the political process and improving public confidence in the American political system; to provide professional guidance, assistance, and education to members as they develop the skills, techniques, and business procedures required for successful political consultation; to establish and maintain a high standard of ethical conduct through membership education and the establishment and promotion of a workable Code of Professional Ethics for members; to help inform the news media, educational institutions, political organizations, and the general public about the value of political consultation and its contribution to the political process; and to place particular emphasis in our work on reaching out to involve and educate young people in the art of political consultation and in the benefits it brings to the practice of democracy.

The American Association of Political Consultants, founded in 1969, is a bipartisan 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. AAPC members understand that, while they are often competitors on election day, they are all colleagues with similar professional concerns that transcend "Republican", "Democrat" or "Independent" labels.

The creation of political consultation as a separate career discipline has been a development of the middle 20th Century. As with most of politics, there is disagreement over when the "industry" began. Some call the California firms of Baus and Ross or Whittaker-Baxter, back in the 1930s, the founders of the field. Others credit people like Joe Napolitan, Clif White, Matt Reese, Bill Roberts, Stu Spencer, Joe Cerrell, Bill Hamilton, Bob Squier, Walter deVries and their peers as the first "true" political consultants. These political pioneers date back to the 1950s.

Political consultants can do everything or specialize in one specific service. General services include overall strategic expertise, whereas specialist services include such diverse talents as survey research, television or radio production and placement, telemarketing, direct mail, fund raising, media relations, computer use, and a host of additional forms of expertise.

Political advice-giving as a business, independent of other types of income production, began about the same time as the formation of the American Association of Political Consultants in 1969. Only a handful of people attended the first meeting at Lincoln Center in New York City. The association now numbers more than 1,100 active members, and operates from a permanent office in Washington, D.C.

The American Association of Political Consultants maintains a Code of Professional Ethics for members.

From the AAPC's website 2005.