How to Write a Campaign Stump Speech in Wisconsin That People Remember

You will say the same few minutes of words a hundred times before the vote, and most of those people will hear them only once. That makes your stump speech the most used thing you write.

Tony RuffiNov 7, 20267 min read

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A stump speech is the short talk you give again and again. This article shows its parts, the right length, how to write it so people can follow it by ear, and how to practice. A one-page plan you can fill in tonight comes last.

What is a stump speech?

It is a short talk about who you are, why you are running and what you will do, given again and again to different rooms. The name comes from old campaigns, when a candidate stood on a tree stump to speak. You change a few lines for each crowd, but the core stays the same.

Think of it like a song you play at every show. The fans may hear it once, so it has to land the first time, and you have to play it so well that it never sounds stale. Our candidate forum article covers short answers to questions, and this one covers the speech you give when no one asks.

How long should a stump speech be?

Have three versions: 30 seconds, two minutes and five minutes. The short one is for a doorstep or a hallway. The two minute one fits most forums and club meetings. The five minute one is for when a host gives you real time. Build the short one first, since the others grow from it.

Here is how we use each one:

The word counts come from a normal talking pace, a little over 140 words a minute, and they are only a guide. Say yours out loud with a timer, since everyone talks at a different speed. Our door knocking script article goes deeper on the 30 second version.

What goes into a stump speech?

Five parts: a hook, your story, your reason, your plan and your ask. The hook gets people to look up. The story shows who you are. The reason says why you are running, the plan says what you will do, and the ask tells them what to do next. Short speeches use all five, just in fewer words.

Here is each part and what it does:

1. The hook. One line that makes people lean in. It can be a fact about the town, a question or a small scene.
2. Your story. Where you are from, what you do and what pulled you in. Use one real moment, not a résumé.
3. Your reason. The one thing that is broken or could be better, and why you are the one to work on it.
4. Your plan. Two or three things you will do, in plain words a neighbor would use. Skip the long list.
5. Your ask. Tell them what you need: a vote, a yard sign, a name for your list. If you do not ask, most people will not offer.

Pick one big idea and let everything else support it. A speech with five big ideas is a speech with none, because people leave remembering nothing.

How do you write it so people can follow it?

Write for the ear, not the eye. Use short, plain words, put the point first and say it again in a new way before you move on. A reader can look back at a page, but a listener cannot, so every sentence has to make sense the first time it is heard.

A few habits make a big difference:

• Write it the way you talk. If you would never say a word at the kitchen table, cut it.
• Use numbers you can say. "One in three" is easier to hear than "33.4 percent."
• Repeat your key line. Say it near the start and again near the end.
• Name a real place or person. "The bridge on Main Street" lands better than "infrastructure."
• Leave air. A short pause after your best line lets it sink in.

Read it out loud as you write. If you run out of breath in the middle of a sentence, the sentence is too long, so split it. When you finish, read it to one person who is not on your campaign and ask what they remember. That is your real message.

What did a plain speech do for Abraham Lincoln?

It put a little-known candidate in front of the whole country. On February 27, 1860, Lincoln spoke at the Cooper Union in New York City. He had never spoken in the East, and he gave a long, clear, careful argument, more than 7,000 words (Wikipedia, citing period sources). The New-York Tribune called it one of the most convincing political arguments ever made in the city, and newspapers and pamphlets spread the text across the North.

We are not saying you should give a speech that long. A talk in 1860 is not a forum in 2027. What carries over is the plan behind it. He knew the room, he made one argument and he built it step by step, so the people who doubted him could follow every step. The speech gave him a big push toward the nomination that May, which means the party picking him as its candidate for president. He went on to win the White House that fall.

What did a Wisconsin mayor race teach us about speaking?

It taught us that a clear message beats a loud one. In 2024 Doug Diny won the Wausau mayor's race with 52% of the vote. He unseated the incumbent, the person who already held the job, and he was outspent (case study). We are not saying a speech did that, since many things went into it. We are saying that when money is short, every time you open your mouth has to count.

Here is a mistake we see from first-time candidates: they practice their speech in front of a mirror and nowhere else. We tell them to practice it with real people instead.

Want help turning your story into a speech you can give with a straight back? Our consultants work with candidates all over Wisconsin, up north included, at every level of the ballot. Your first call is free.

How do you practice a speech?

Say it out loud, on your feet, every day. Start alone, then say it to a friend, then to a few people who will be honest. Record it on your phone and listen once. You will hear the filler words and the long sentences faster than you can see them on paper.

Here is the order we use:

1. Write it all out in full, once, so you know what you want to say.
2. Boil it down to five or six key words on one card.
3. Say it ten times alone, standing, with a timer.
4. Say it to one friend and ask what stuck.
5. Say it in the room where you will speak, if you can get in early.
6. Change it after every talk. Notice which line got a nod and which one got blank looks.

Our announcement article shows how to use your first speech when you tell people you are running.

A note on rules: a live talk is not an ad. If your words are recorded and run as a paid ad or sent in a paid post, "paid for by" rules may apply. Start with our paid-for-by article, then read the Ethics Commission's attribution page and ask your filing officer. Check with the Wisconsin Elections Commission too. This is a plain-English overview and not legal advice.

Where do first-time candidates slip with a speech?

They try to say everything, read from a page, start with thank-yous and forget the ask. Each one is easy to fix before the day. Here is the list we run through with every candidate, with a fix next to each.

• Too many points. Pick one big idea and cut the rest.
• Reading from paper. Use a card with five or six key words.
• A slow start. Open with your hook, and thank people at the end.
• Big words. Swap each one for what you would say to a neighbor.
• No story. Add one true moment from your own life.
• No ask. End with one clear thing you need from the room.
• Never timing it. Say it with a timer, because you will run long.

Your one-page speech plan

Fill this in, then say it out loud. Do each row in order, and change it to fit your race.

That adds up to about two minutes. Want a second pair of ears before you step up to the mic? Call us at 715-314-3250, or set up a free first call when it suits you.

Fact-checked November 7, 2026 against Bluejack field practice, the Bluejack Wausau case study and the Wikipedia article on Lincoln's Cooper Union speech, which cites period newspapers.