Harvey Yorke wrote the first edition of The Candidate's Handbook in 1980 after serving as Director of Public Information for governor Ronald Reagan, and as PR director for U.S. Senator S.I. Hayakawa. He won election to the City Council in Novato, CA, and served as campaign manager, consultant and advisor to numerous candidates in city and county campaigns, and on a variety of ballot initiative measures.

Carl Yorke, son of Harvey Yorke, rewrote The Candidate's Handbook in 2002 after managing local campaigns in Northern California. He teaches writing at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA.