Campaign School: The Importance of Preparation.

An aspiring candidate could save a bundle on consultants by reading Eric Phillips’ autopsy of Andrew Yang’s campaign for mayor of New York. It’s worth the many times the cost of a Daily Beast subscription.

The essential message: No campaign—and Yang’s was excellent—can paper over a candidate who hasn’t done his homework. Celebrity helps, but that you can win shouldn’t be the rationale for it. For a guy who ran a test prep company, Yang didn’t cram enough to make up for his breezy resume.