It takes a village to run a presidential campaign, and in the case of Donald Trump’s bid for reelection, that village is led by a group of shadowy, wealthy and well-connected figures working to shape the infrastructure of the election and his policies and messaging.

Meet the election operators.

Related: How Steve Bannon’s War Room is shaping Republican narratives: ‘We get on an idea and we drive it’

Some of these figures, like Steve Bannon, are more known to the public from Trump’s first term. Others, like the Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky and Kevin Roberts, may not be household names. But all will play a massive role in boosting Trump’s attempt to regain the White House and ensuring that he’s ready to go on day one with a full policy agenda, proposed nominees for his cabinet and the courts and the legal arguments to back up his most extreme plans.

Over the next few weeks, the Guardian will profile some of the election operators, going deep on their backgrounds, careers and how they came to be in such an influential position ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Our profiles will look at how Roberts, a former Catholic college president, would helm a thinktank that produced Project 2025, an alarming roadmap for how Trump could dismantle the federal government in his second term. Another will examine how Cleta Mitchell found her way from a progressive lawmaker in Oklahoma fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment to a conservative attorney who advised Trump in his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

We’ll consider how Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, came to have such influence over young Republicans, and how fossil fuel billionaire Tim Dunn, who has used his fortune to shape Texas politics, is now turning to the national stage.

While their influence extends far deeper than just money, the operators have used theirs – and their benefactors’ – to advance an anti-democratic vision. Dunn, for example, has helped underwrite Trump’s 2024 campaign, contributing at least $5m to one of the former president’s super Pacs.

Whether or not Trump wins in November, these election operators are laying out a playbook for questioning election results, recruiting young people to the Maga movement and promoting conservative policies that could impact democracy for generations to come.