Overview

Campaign Manager 2008 is a two-player card game simulating the 2008 US presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain. Each player manages a campaign, playing strategy cards to influence battleground states by shifting issues and gaining voter support. Players compete for electoral votes by winning states where all voters on the majority issue side support their candidate. The first candidate to reach 270 electoral votes wins.

Components

• 45 Campaign Strategy cards per player (90 total)
• Battleground state cards
• Issue markers and Key Demographic markers
• Voter support tokens
• Breaking News event deck
• Electoral vote tracker

Setup

1. Deck Building: Each player drafts 15 cards from their 45-card deck by drawing 3 cards at a time, keeping 1 and discarding the other 2, until 15 cards have been selected. Shuffle these 15 cards to form your campaign deck.
2. Starting Hand: Draw 3 cards.
3. Starting States: Each player secretly selects 2 battleground states. All 4 chosen states are revealed and placed in play with Issue and Key Demographic markers positioned as indicated on each state card.
4. Breaking News Deck: Shuffle and place face-down near the active states.

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On your turn, you must do exactly one of the following:

1. Play a Card

Play a card from your hand, resolve its effects, then discard it. Effects may include:

• Gaining voter support in a state
• Shifting issue markers
• Placing Media Support cards (which remain in play until replaced)

2. Draw a Card

If your hand has fewer than 5 cards, draw 1 card from your deck instead of playing. When your deck is empty and you need to draw, reshuffle your discard pile to form a new deck.

Actions

Gaining Support

Support markers replace opponent voters in three equivalent ways:

• Place your markers on spaces currently occupied by opponent colors.
• Remove opponent tokens from the board.
• Replace opponent tokens on white (undecided) spots with your own markers.

Undecided Voters

If no opponent voters exist to replace, new tokens occupy white (undecided) spots. Once claimed, undecided spots never become empty again.

Shifting Issues

Issue markers move along state tracks. The majority issue (the issue with more support) determines which voters are relevant for winning the state.

Media Support

Media Support cards remain in play until replaced by another Media Support card. They provide ongoing effects.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Winning a State

A player wins a state immediately when all of the voters on the majority issue side of that state support only their candidate. The winner claims the state’s electoral votes.

New States

When a state is won, the winning player selects a new battleground state to enter play. A Breaking News card is drawn and resolved, typically affecting the new state.

Victory

• McCain needs 115 additional electoral votes (beyond his safe states) to reach 270.
• Obama needs 113 additional electoral votes to reach 270.
• If both players reach exactly 269 votes, the game is a draw.

The first player to accumulate 270 or more electoral votes wins immediately.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Players may only draw a card if their hand has fewer than 5 cards.
• When your deck runs out, reshuffle your discard pile to form a new deck.
• Media Support cards stay in play until replaced, unlike other cards which are discarded after use.
• Breaking News events are drawn whenever a new state enters play, adding unpredictability.
• The pre-game draft of 15 from 45 cards creates different strategic options each game.
• Each candidate’s starting electoral position is asymmetric, reflecting the 2008 political landscape.

Player Reference

Turn Options: Play a card OR Draw a card (if hand < 5)

Winning a State: All voters on the majority issue side support your candidate.

Victory: First to 270 electoral votes.

Candidate	Starting Safe EVs	EVs Needed
McCain	155	115 more
Obama	157	113 more

Key Mechanics:

• Draft 15 from 45 cards pre-game
• Gain voter support, shift issues, play Media Support
• Breaking News on new state entry