Joshua A. Treat

About

I have run state and federal campaigns since 2013: U.S. House, U.S. Senate and governor's races, from a first field job in Iowa to managing a $2.6 million congressional campaign and advising a statewide one. The work is the same at every level. Set the targets, build the program that reaches the voters who decide the race, hire people who can execute it, and keep the plan honest week by week.

Most of what I know is about turnout and persuasion in close races, delegate and convention strategy, and building a campaign from nothing. Lately that has included producing short-form video and interactive web content, and building Votes to Win, a campaign-planning web app for first-time candidates.

I grew up acting and once planned to study film, which still shows in how I think about a message. When I'm not on a campaign I'm in Maine, where my family has been since the 1750s.

Work

• 2025 – present
  Senior Advisor, Lahn for Governor (Iowa)

  Strategy, targets and weekly plans for a first-time candidate building a statewide campaign from zero; won a five-way primary over a sitting congressman, and now directing general-election strategy and voter targeting.

• 2023 – 2025
  Between campaigns (Pine Island Camp, Maine)

  Fundraising, donor relations and the donor database for a nonprofit summer camp, with a seasonal staff of 40.

• 2022
  Campaign Manager, Iowans for Zach Nunn (IA-03, U.S. House)

  Built and ran a $2.6 million campaign that unseated a two-term incumbent by 2,066 votes, with a turnout model and field program that ran up margins in 20 of 21 counties.

• 2017 – 2021
  Campaign Manager and Political Director, Massachusetts Red Grassroots Action and John Kingston for U.S. Senate (Boston)

  Managed regional field directors statewide for Gov. Baker's 2018 re-election; designed the delegate strategy that put Kingston on the Senate primary ballot; built a field data system the state party later adopted.

• 2016 – 2017
  Campaign Manager, then District Director, Claudia Tenney for Congress (NY-22)

  Ran a seven-point win with eight staff and forty interns across seven county offices, then ran the district office.

• 2013 – 2014
  Earlier campaigns

  Political Director, Young for Iowa (IA-03); Deputy Campaign Manager, Schultz for Iowa; intern at FP1 Strategies in Washington.

Education

B.A., Psychology, University of Maine, Orono.