11 Things You Need To Do To Win A Political Campaign

Facebook/Barack ObamaIf you want a real shot at running for office, following these 11 rules for campaign success could get you there.

The rules come from Jeff Smith's "Campaign Management Boot Camp" at The New School, where he is an assistant professor of Politics and Advocacy.

But he's not only an academic.

Smith served in the Missouri Senate from 2006 to 2009 as the nation’s only white state senator from a majority-black district. He later ran for the congressional seat vacated by Dick Gephardt in 2004, losing a close race to Rep. Russ Carnahan.

That campaign was the subject of a critically-acclaimed documentary "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?"

Here, Smith tells us his 11 steps to running a successful campaign.