Downballot Candidates 

Torrez grabbed a compelling narrative… with polished ads establishing himself as the experienced prosecutor.”- Roswell Daily Record, 6/21/22

It was nearly an impossible task for Raúl Torrez in the Democratic primary for Attorney General in New Mexico in 2022. Raúl’s opponent was a statewide officeholder who had twice the cash, nearly every endorsement from every corner of the state, and polling that showed that after the informed ballot Raul was losing by a whopping 27 points.  To illustrate the uphill climb Raúl faced, his opponent won the non-binding pre-primary convention 62% to 38%.

A cookie-cutter campaign would be a losing campaign for Raul Torrez. We needed to take calculated risks if we wanted to win.

Our strategy was to utilize a series of sharp, 15-second ads on TV (half the price of a 30-second ad); go up early, and define the terms of the race from the opening salvo as a contrast between a prosecutor and a career politician.  We were more aggressive than normal in having Raúl go directly after his opponent in the ads but it paid off. On Election Day, despite a 2-to-1 cash deficit, Raúl Torrez won the highly competitive primary for New Mexico’s Attorney General by an amazing 7%.

 

 

 

Dana Nessel for Michigan’s Attorney General

In the race for Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nessel faced off against former Trump lawyer Matt DePerno. While we were busy defining DePerno as a MAGA extremist, it was also very important for us to communicate that AG Nessel was “The People’s Lawyer” and tell stories of how her actions positively influenced people’s lives (and pocketbooks) in a good way. While many insiders believed Nessel’s race would be a nailbiter, she soared to a 9-point victory on Election Day.  

Following her win, Victory Fund reminded the press, “With this win, Nessel will remain the first and only out LGBTQ person elected statewide in Michigan, a title she has held since her historic victory in 2018 when she was first elected Attorney General.”

 

 

 

Frigid progress in Green Bay

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich was running for re-election after winning a very hard-fought battle four years prior and taking the helm as the first Democrat to lead the city in 16 years. With inflation and general discontent nationally, Republicans smelled blood in the water and it led to the most expensive mayoral race in Green Bay history.

Research showed voters were familiar with the accomplishments of the city but didn’t necessarily tie that progress back to the mayor. We needed a memorable spot to showcase the Mayor Genrich’s biggest infrastructure accomplishments, show his progress, and give voters a feel for the energy he brings to the office every day.  In the end, Genrich won in a larger margin than we anticipated with 52%.

 

 

 

Winning statewide in deep-red Montana

In Montana, amid the strong currents of the 2024 red wave, we played a pivotal role in securing Judge Katherine Bidegaray’s election to the State Supreme Court. Our strategy was clear: highlight her unwavering commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law, while also sharing the powerful story of her roots—growing up on a farm and ranch, where hard work and integrity are the foundation of everything she stands for. Montana Muckracker wrote,  “Judge Bidegaray ran an exceptional campaign and (that) moves that associate justice seat to the left from Justice Sandefur.”

 

 

 

California’s first openly LGBTQ+ statewide elected official

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara faced an unusual amount of opposition in 2022 from a handful of challengers in the June primary where the top two voter-getters would compete on the November ballot. Lara had been falsely tangled in controversy early in his term. We knew he needed to tell voters a story about the specific way he had helped them and saved them money.  On Primary Election Night, Lara, the state’s first openly LGBTQ+ statewide elected official secured his second term.

 

 

 

Break through the political clutter

In New Mexico’s race for Secretary of State we knew we had to do something different to cut through all the ad clutter on television. Maggie Toulouse Oliver had just been elected to office in a special election two years prior due to the fact that the former Secretary of State had gone to jail. We needed a memorable spot about the great things Maggie was doing to clean up politics in New Mexico – including shining a light on dark money special interests. Joe Monhan’s widely-read New Mexico election blog said of the ad, “Nothing like a big heel crushing scurrying cockroaches to break through the political ad clutter.”

 

 

 

From “longest of long shots” to winner: the underdog victory of Portland’s new mayor Keith Wilson

In a stunning political upset, Portland’s mayoral race delivered a victory for Keith Wilson that defied all expectations. Widely regarded as a long shot throughout the campaign, Keith Wilson overcame significant odds to secure a place in city history. The campaign was laser-focused on building Keith’s narrative as an outsider, successful businessman, and non-profit leader who would work to enact bold reforms to end unsheltered homelessness in the city. The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported, “The race for mayor of Portland vaulted little-known businessman Keith Wilson into a smashing win over three council members, a result few people would have anticipated months ago.” Wilson was the first mayor elected in Portland in nearly 40 years with no background in politics.

 

 

 

What’s in Dave Jones’ locker?

The race for California State Senate District 8 featured Sacramento City Council Member Angelique Ashby running against former California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. It was one of California’s Democrat v Democrat general election races. Internal polling showed a very tight race with Ashby falling behind.  We knew our negatives on Dave Jones needed to stick. To create a memorable spot we set the ad under the sea… and latched on to the Davey Jones’ locker concept. We didn’t try to make it funny – just wanted to use that classic story as a memory-enhancing device.

After all the votes were tallied, Ashby pulled off a victory with 51% of the vote. In his concession release, Jones blamed the attack ads. The ad won the AAPC Pollie Award for Best Television ad for a Democratic State Legislative candidate.