I’m always amazed to think about the number of races in which I’ve had the privilege to be involved throughout a relatively short period of time, politically speaking.

When I first began volunteering for local and state candidates, I was primarily tasked with knocking on doors to speak with voters, and, on occasion, leaving behind literature on whichever candidate I happened to be canvassing for that day.

Two years later, I was working a congressional race and directing a team whose work consisted of making contact with tens of thousands of voters across one of the largest districts east of the Mississippi River. Over the decade that followed, I helped Republican candidates get elected to various public offices. Every campaign plan I’ve devised, from precinct delegate to the U.S. Congress, included two vital components: a door-to-door strategy and an effective fundraising program.

If you’re a voter who has had someone at your door during an election year, it is important to realize that wasn’t random. Campaigns create tailored voter contact lists for their field team, using very specific formulas. In building the list, numerous things are taken into account, such as: individual voter information (age, gender, party affiliation, frequency of voting), their neighborhood’s previous election trends, and, of course, any recent polling information. Using that method allows candidates and their campaign staff to utilize the most cost-effective means in delivering their message directly to the voter.

So, what is a candidate to do during a global pandemic, especially in Michigan, where it’s hit especially hard?

It certainly makes this election year rather unique. The governor’s shelter-in-place order and popular social distancing guidelines make door-to-door strategies largely untenable. So how should a candidate, for any office, go about campaigning?

Putting up campaign signs could likely be viewed as non-essential activity, and, with risk of a $1,000 fine, it’d be a pretty expensive way to raise your name ID. Likewise, candidates cannot attend public events or gatherings, because, well … they’re also illegal, for the time being.

In cases like these, most campaign managers worth their weight would turn to a direct mail, or media market campaigns.

But, with over a quarter of our state’s workforce signing up for unemployment, and many business owners unsure whether they will survive this financial uncertainty, it’s tough to ask anyone for a contribution.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s still fundraising opportunities, but it simply isn’t the best environment for such a task, unless you’re a candidate for federal office.

Both U.S. Sen. Gary Peters and his opponent, businessman and combat veteran John James, raised approximately $4 million this past quarter.

Likewise, both presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have reportedly raised hundreds of millions of dollars. And, while that’s great for the members of those campaigns, I can’t help but feel bad for the candidates who are farther down the ballot and who don’t have the same curb appeal as a result.

For local and state candidates, the real test might lie in which campaign can be the most creative.

I’ve come up with a few ideas here and there, but most of those plans rely on what might happen once COVID-19 is behind us, or at least until society opens back up again.

Ideally, April 30 will mark the end of our State of Emergency and life will begin to return to normal, or at least as close to normal as possible.

But, even if significant restrictions are lifted and executive orders go away, it’s likely we’ll still have to wait for a vaccine or a cure.

In the meantime, many questions remain. Will people want to open their door to a stranger who has just made contact with every person in a one-mile radius before knocking on their door? Will they be apt to accept a pamphlet that hasn’t been sterilized or left alone for 24 hours (the amount of time it’s believed COVID-19 can live on some paper materials)? Will they want to stand next to a person at an event, schmoozing, knowing that that person’s daily goal is to attend as many 50-plus-person events as possible, shaking hands and kissing babies?

I doubt it.

Times like these will undoubtedly create new challenges for political candidates. The pressure is on to see who can shine when it comes to creative problem-solving, and strong leadership – two traits highly sought after in an elected official, especially in such a demanding economic and political set of circumstances.

Jesse Osmer is a never-you-mind-old political junkie who loves old movies, states’ rights, and well-made cocktails. He has served as political director to former U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, sat on the influential Policy Committee for the Michigan Republican Party, and currently works as state Rep. Sue Allor’s legislative director.