As Marcus Tullius Cicero was seeking office in 64 BC, he was doing so as the Roman Republic was nearing its end. However, this did not mean the elections of the time were any less competitive and consequential. That is why his brother Quintus Tullius Cicero decided to write a handbook for him. It was to serve as a method to remind Marcus of what was important during the chaotic campaign in which he was embarking. Essentially the handbook described whom he needed support from and how to get it. The viability of these recommendations can be determined not only by the actions of Marcus but also the machinations of other Roman politicians.
For one, he was advised to keep close ties with the class of Equites and the youth that this demographic largely consisted of. In addition to comprising of the brightest and most capable men in Rome, their youth made them easy to persuade as they were not stubbornly attached to their habits (Cicero sec.33). With them brought to his side he would have a base of vibrant supporters with the wealth that is immensely useful to a man on an election campaign. Given that the equites were the clear political winners from the ascendancy of Sulla showed that they were a group to be won over.
As was tradition in Rome, the nobility was crucial to winning a consular election, so Quintus did not negate to mention them. It was a given that they would have the connections necessary to bring one to power. The particularly distinguished among them could provide a prestige that emanates on to a candidate just by association (Cicero sec. 18). The most distinguished among this group was Pompey. His fame was surpassed by none. Marcus already saw him as a vital source of influence and was a zealous advocate for Pompey’s causes in the forum and the court of law. Some time after the election he would break with Pompey, when the Frist Triumvirate was forming, due to personal principles. It was however, good that he had not rejected Pompey during his consular election because doing so later proved disastrous.
To hammer home the fierceness of contemporary consular elections, Quintus reminds Marcus that a successful political campaign necessitated an association with some unsavory people that one would not want to be seen mingling with regularly (Cicero sec.25). One type of people he was referring to were the Collegia. This was a group that consisted of neighborhood, trade, and religious groups which were usually innocuous, but as violence was entering the political chemistry of Rome, the Collegia were becoming a source of organized political violence. They were in fact banned in 64 BC, the year of Marcus’s campaign. It should also be noted that the leaders of these Collegia were the only supporters, other than Pompey, that Quintus mentions by name (Cicero sec. 19). These were names to be remembered. Clodius’s action as tribune would make this thinking all the more justified. He reversed the ban on the Collegia and brought a new wave of street violence on to Rome that at times brought the government to a halt. As violence became a staple in Roman politics, shady acts like gaining the support of even banned organizations became a necessity.
Winning a consulship was a precarious affair, and being a good brother, Quintus decides that it is his duty to help Marcus. There was little room for social ideals. Money, fame, and brute force took precedence above all. Laser focus on who can help elevate one to power is hard to maintain in the maelstrom of Rome, so it helped to have things written down. The historic events that informed and came after the writing of the handbook can attest to its effectiveness.