Here are some great resources for progressive and Democratic candidates!

Check with your state's Division of Elections to verify qualifying information and begin the process of filing your papers and officially declaring your intention! The League of Women Voters has contact information for each state's Elections Division here.

Start your research - Take a look at the demographics where you are running. Project Vote Smart has a great list of political demographic and map resources- here. The Census Bureau is also good place to start. In addition you can normally purchase voter lists from the Division of Elections, inquire with them.

Talk to your closest advisors - This is the time to think about who might be able to manage your campaign, even if you are only running for dog catcher! You want to get a good group together of trusted family, friends, and supporters and lay out your vision for the campaign!

Get Trained! - Democracy for America runs the DFA Training Academy, an amazing program which prepares both candidates and activists for every aspect of running a successful campaign! Other organizations with training components include Progressive Majority and Wellstone Action.

Start a website! - Campaign Window offers free websites to any Democratic candidate, no html knowledge necessary! If you can make a small investment, Democracy in Action and Blue Utopia are good options. If you want a really dynamic web presence, Blue State Digital and Echo Ditto are the best around!

Start Fundraising! - If you are a Democrat running for a statewide position and have filed with the FEC, Act Blue can help you get your online fundraising operation up and running in a snap. If not, Click & Pledge is a great solution for any campaign!

Connect with your local Democratic Party - Contact information for each state is available at Democrats.org/local.

Get the word out - Use the progressive blogs to spread the word about your campaign and make critical connections. Getting the "netroots" behind your effort is critical for any progressive or Democratic campaign. The big ones, Daily Kos, Open Left, and MyDD are all great places to start a conversation, and check out the blog rolls on the side bars for more great blogs. It's most critical that you connect in your area so check out BlogPAC's list of state blogs.

Connect to local media - Use the Yahoo Directory of News and Media to connect to your local media. Establish a reliable contact at each media organization in order to get the word out about your campaign, on your terms. Also, think about alternative press like the Alternative Newsweeklies. Project Vote Smart also has a directory of local media in all 50 states from their political resources page. Wikipedia has a pretty good list of left-leaning alternative media!

Print and Publicize! - Use this great tool to find a union print shop in your area. Get yard signs, brochures, bumper stickers, buttons, rally signs, and more!

Frame your message! - George Lakoff's "Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision" is free and available online. Click here to find out more.