Context:
The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2005 was the most-watched race of the year. Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine began the campaign trailing Attorney General Jerry Kilgore. Kaine hired MSHC to develop a highly-targeted, creative and effective persuasion mail program.
Our Work:
Our plan emphasized a strategic focus on the two issues that held the most promise for Kaine, education and transportation. Using advanced microtargeting, we scored each of Virginia’s 4 million voters on three bases: the likelihood of being undecided, the likelihood of voting in this off-year election, and the likelihood of supporting an education-first platform or having a longer-than-average commute time to work. We mailed to a tight screen of voters who scored best when the three factors were combined.
We also employed a word-of-mouth strategy to exploit cracks within the Republican base. Our goal was to incite dissension and doubt among GOP activists and bloggers about Kilgore’s position on taxes. To do so, we mailed Republican voters a copy of the Club for Growth’s own attack on Kilgore. The tactic launched an intense debate on conservative blogs and broadened press coverage of Kilgore’s rift with the anti-tax conservatives within his party.
Results:
Kaine surprised pundits with a 5-point victory on Election Day, giving Democrats their most significant win of the year. |
