Councilman Kenyan R. McDuffie (At-large)
Key Items
- Our fellows made over 113,000 calls and 331,214 texts.
- NWF wrote all of the voter contact scripts and messaging and provided targeting for the digital program.
- Ultimately, McDuffie won by racking up large margins against Silverman in Wards 5, 7, and 8.
The Challenge
Kenyan McDuffie was the incumbent councilmember for Ward 5 of Washington, D.C.’s City Council. After being disqualified from the Attorney General ballot due to a technicality, he mounted an independent campaign for one of the two at-large seats. This was a bold move against two popular incumbents – Democrat Anita Bonds and independent Elissa Silverman.
The Strategy
Because Bonds was the lone Democrat on the ballot, it was all-but-guaranteed for her to come in first. Our strategy was to focus on holding Bonds below 35% of the vote and making sure McDuffie came in second, ahead of Silverman.
- Vote Share Management: We messaged to emphasize McDuffie’s Democratic Party roots and his accomplishments. By running a vigorous voter contact campaign, we kept Silverman’s margins down in Wards 3 and 4.
- Targeted Mobilization: We aggressively targeted Wards 7 and 8, home to a heavy Black population, and used existing name recognition in his home turf of Ward 5 to reinforce our firewall.
- Voter Contact: NWF wrote targeted scripts and provided targeting for the digital program. Our fellows made over 113,000 calls and 331,214 texts.
Outcome
Ultimately, McDuffie won by racking up large margins against Silverman in Wards 5, 7, and 8. He held strong in the whiter wards and ran ahead of her in Ward 4. Many voters in Bonds’ voting base defected to McDuffie, helping him secure the seat.
CONTACT US
Innovative campaign solutions, at all levels. Leave us a message and get in touch!
