The “Unlikiest Winner”. That is what one newspaper called 16th District Republican Candidate for Congress Johnny Tacherra when on election night the vote count was:
Johnny Tacherra 34,728 vs Jim Costa 33,859:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/392526/unlikeliest-winner-andrew-johnson. With only a part-time campaign manager, two campaign consultants, and a little more than $300,000, Johnny Tacherra’s
“off the radar” campaign was just this close to toppling a long-term Democrat Congressman. Jim Costa initially looked to be losing the seat. Costa ended up winning but Tacherra very nearly upset the long-term Congressman in this surprisingly hot race.
When the votes began to indicate a possible win, the NRCC suddenly jumped in to help see about ensuring a victory for Tacherra. Prior to this, Tacherra had not been on the map. How did this potential toppling happen?
Lee Neves and Carl Fogliani of Crosscurrents (crosscurrentsllc.com) came up with an innovative way to get the message out when they understood the limitations of budget. Unlike many campaigns, Carl and Lee knew that they didn’t have the money to do the classic mail out in which multiple mailers flood voter’s boxes. Instead, they brought in Action Solutions (www.actionsolutions.net) and used automated calls, or BROADCAST MESSAGING, to reach the many voters that would help get Tacherra the victory. Starting in May, and continuing throughout the campaign, messages were sent that marketed “Farmer Johnny Tacherra” as the one who could help solve issues that Costa had ignored far too long. Issues of water, banning flights from Ebola stricken nations, job creation, excessive spending, security, and stopping Obamacare were messaged via automated “robo” callsthat much more effectively reached voters and surprised Costa and even the NRCC. One article quote said, “Not a single person steeped in the world of federal politics saw this coming.” Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/11/05/4220380_political-parties-scratching-heads.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy. Messaging went out at intervals over this period of time, reaching targeted audiences selected by Crosscurrents. And it worked! There was a volunteer ground game but little else in terms of a “ground game” with about 15 volunteers from the candidate’s church helping out. Additional conversations revealed that there was one TV commercial and only one mailer with multiple candidates. What Crosscurrents and Action Solutions developed was a program that used Automated Calling (or BROADCAST MESSAGING) as the chief delivery method of the campaign message. And it ALMOST WORKED! Were they pioneering a new method for campaign message delivery?
While Tacherra did not ultimately win the race, he shook up the playing field and proved that it could be done in another election round. Winning is the label any candidate wants to wear and what the ultimate goal is. Let Action Solutions get your message out and become a winner!
If you have any questions or would like more information regarding options available for communications campaigns, contact Jeff Kubler at 888-761-3003, or at jeff@actionsolutions.net.
