Keri was a first-time candidate in a house district that was held by a Republican for almost 20 years. This district is heavily suburban, with a small cluster of city neighborhoods on the edge of the district. The key to the race was winning support from suburban women. The clear contrast was between an older, white male from the establishment or a young, passionate mom who was running to help her community. We made sure voters saw Keri as a qualified, young professional who was devoted to her family, rather than focus on partisan issues (education, public safety and child welfare became the key issues).

Keri won her by over 6%, outperforming the average Democratic district performance. In Missouri, she was one of only three Democrats who flipped a Republican legislative seat that cycle.

Rupa Blackwell was the only woman, and a candidate of color, in a field of four candidates, and she was vying for one of two spots on the Board of Alderman of her hometown in rural Tennessee. The objective of our campaign was to build name recognition and differentiate Rupa as a unique candidate: one focused on her community and families in town, specifically by addressing modern issues impacting a small, rural town.

As a woman and a person of color, we wanted to make sure that Rupa would be relatable and connect with voters in the district. Not only did Rupa Blackwell win her race for the Board of Aldermen, of the four candidates, Rupa received the most votes by a large margin. This was a historic victory because Rupa was the first woman of color elected to the Board of Aldermen in Tullahoma’s 167-year history, a small, rural town in southern Tennessee.

Rupa’s mail was designed so that Rupa would be noticed, and the overwhelming win proves that our mail had an impact on the race. In terms of design, we capitalized on iconic imagery from downtown Tullahoma, combined with engaging photos of Rupa Blackwell with voters throughout the community. The bright colors and layout create visual interest and appeal, helping Rupa stand out as a candidate.

In her race for state senate, Neomi Martinez-Parra successfully challenged long-term incumbent New Mexico State Senator John Smith. Neomi was up against an entrenched legislator and large special interests with few independent expenditures in support of her campaign. TJP Strategies worked with Neomi early on to develop the campaign’s narrative and printed literature. TJP helped direct her photo shoot and designed her walk card as well as designed and implemented her three-piece mail program.
Our strategy built from close collaboration with the candidate and her team focused on a bold, progressive message to create contrast while using locally relevant imagery and photos that showed her community connection.

The positioning of Neomi resulted in an upset victory in southern New Mexico.

TJP Strategies, in partnership with Foundation Blue Media, developed a coordinated independent expenditure program for both the Missouri House Democratic Caucus and the Carpenters Union. The mail and digital programs were bifurcated, allowing for the House Democrats to focus on highly targeted GOTV and for the Carpenters to focus on broader persuasion to a separate universe.

By dividing the universes, TJP and Foundation Blue were able to maximize penetration and message retention through fully integrated direct mail and digital messages. The GOTV messaging included positive, progressive language and built contrasts through comparisons and negative messages on healthcare and Medicaid expansion. The persuasion messaging highlighted Trish Gunby’s bio and a moderate platform about public safety, but also included negatives on the opponent that mirrored the GOTV messaging.

TJP’s approach of combined messaging and coordinated targeting assisted Trish Gunby in securing a 9-point victory on Election Day.