Tea party leader from Charleston, South Carolina Dean Allen said, “I have been involved in politics since I was the Galveston County youth chairman for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential race. I ran Ronald Reagan's GOTV operation in Galveston County. I consider myself an expert in politics who is well trained and knows the ropes very well. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of instruction, the broad scope of activities covered, and all the things I either did not know as in depth as I had thought; or, at the technology and newer methods that are more efficient. I learned a huge amount every day! I strongly recommend the educational programs of the Leadership Institute to any conservative activist who cares about the future of our republic and plans to be involved in the process of saving America.”

Twenty-two of the nation’s top political operatives served as volunteer faculty to these 80 aspiring campaigners. On day one Mike Rothfeld, president of SABER Communications, taught LI students the “Real Nature of Politics” and how to organize a campaign.

Leah Holloway, a grassroots activist from Norfolk, Virginia said, “What a breath of fresh air! Rothfeld’s delivery was awesome. His lecture was informative and truthful. I just can’t get enough of this man! His insights make me question what I thought I already knew.”

 “ABCs of Polling,” lecture was taught by Tyler Harber, a partner with Harcom Strategies, where he described the purpose of polling and emphasized the importance of polling strategy.

With 22 seasoned faculty, the lineup included: Mark Kelly, deputy chief of staff for Congressman Tim Huelskamp, who lectured about the importance of precinct organization; John Tate, president for Campaign for Liberty, who taught students the ins and outs about fundraising via direct mail; Terry Campo of The Campo Group who taught about opposition research; Edward King, director of programs & operations at Young Americans for Liberty, who spoke on different strategies for getting out the vote; Jordan Lieberman, president of CampaignGrid, who gave a great lecture on the newest campaign technology; Steve Sutton, former chief of staff to three freshmen Members of Congress and presently, LI’s vice president of development, who spoke on message development; and many others.

Elisabeth Jessop, currently a campaign manager, said, “I loved the lecture on developing your message by Steve Sutton. The four boxes was a great illustration of how to approach political opponents and how to create a positive message to your supporter!”

The training saved the very best for last when Leadership Institute President Morton Blackwell lectured on the handling of negative information. Amazingly, students were still eager to learn more after four days of intensive training.

Personhood Florida state coordinator Brenda Macmenamin said, “My favorite was Morton Blackwell just talking to us.  To realize how much impact this one man has had was very encouraging!”

To see photos of the week-long training, check out the pictures on Facebook here.

LI’s next Campaign Management School is the week of June 3. Go here to learn more and sign up. To see what other trainings LI offers, go here to see the upcoming schedule.