The primary in one of the most hotly contested races has come to a close, and since we worked on it, let’s unpack the state of the Wisconsin governor’s race. There are many Democrats saying defeating Walker is major a priority, so this is an important one.
1. Tony Evers comes out of the primary in a position of strength:
Evers emerges from the primary relatively unscathed, and he's a clear favorite according to the polls. One poll last month showed him defeating Scott Walker by double digits as the Democratic nominee. Walker has always been a polarizing figure in Wisconsin, the same cannot be said about Evers.
2. Walker's strength is in fundraising:
No matter who the Democrats nominated, fundraising was always going to be a concern, as Walker routinely out-fundraised all 10+ Democratic challengers combined. And while his talk of a $50 million campaign was fairly ridiculous, he has many millions more cash on hand than Evers thanks to the special interests he has gotten in bed with. Can Walker's war chest overcome his polling disadvantage?
3. Prepare to hear about education:
There is a reason Walker has been trying to brand himself the "education governor" and why the State Superintendent did well at the polls. People care about the state of education in Wisconsin. The general election will be a showdown between Walker's signature Act-10 legislation and Evers' calls for more education spending. Be ready for education to be front and center, now until November.
4. The impact of the #BlueWave:
Where there is enthusiasm there are candidates. And in Wisconsin there were a lot of candidates start to finish. Democrats are more motivated to vote than they have been in years and even Walker is sounding the alarm. Take a close look at this primary as it may be a preview of what is to come in the 2020 Presidential Primary, with lots of enthusiasm and lots of candidates.
5. There is still a long way to go:
It is far too easy to take an election and assume it is in the bag. Just as in 2016, complacency and assumption leads to losses at the polls. Winning in November is going to take work, and unity. Let’s use the enthusiasm and good poll numbers to our advantage rather than let them harm the cause.
As a firm that specializes in political direct mail, we've seen everything. We've seen some really innovative, clever, creative work. We've also seen some really bad mail, often driven by the candidates themselves. As we move into a busy election season, we want to share with you the top 5 mistakes campaigns make with direct mail so you can avoid them in 2018.
1. Including everything on every mailer
Consistency is great in direct mail. And when on a budget, it makes sense to repeat the core message. But if a piece is supposed to focus on K-12 education, don't include your plan for health care reform. Your mailer should tell a story, not all the information you can think of.
2. Turning the mailer into a manifeso
A piece of direct mail is meant to be a simple advertisement for the campaign, not the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. A typical flat mailer needs no more than 100 to 150 words on it. Very few people will read more than that. The more text, the less likely it gets read.
3. Speaking in platitudes rather than specifics
A lot of us think in broad terms and reasoning, but the information that stands out when you read it is factual and specific. Don't explain how economics works on your mailer, show the reader the dollar and cent figures. Sometimes campaigns want to avoid committing to a fact or figure because it could be disputed. You know what? Bring on the dispute. Attention for a questionable stat is better than no attention at all.
4. Tinkering obsessively
Many candidates and campaign workers make the mistake of thinking, "If I just get this part a little closer to perfect..." No. Stop. Endless rounds of edits to your mail piece will not make it better. It will make it worse. To the reader who doesn't see the sausage getting made, the points you want to make will get more confusing and the artwork will look more hurried and sloppy.
5. Insisting your district number is included
Of the five mistakes, this is the least consequential. It doesn't hurt to include the district number, but it doesn't help. Candidates running for a particular district feel very connected to that number. But 99% of voters have no idea what the number of their State Senate district is. It's just not important.
And that's who and what ultimately matter: The voter reading the piece and what's important to them.
This week Mark is recommending the graphic novels The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars by Michael Dante DiMartino.
"As the host of a podcast about it, the one thing I cannot recommend enough is the world of 'Avatar the Last Airbender' and 'The Legend of Korra'. Both are fantastic shows that deal with complex and mature issues, all wrapped up gorgeous animation, great writing, and excellent characters. Even after the two series ended the stories continue in the form of graphic novels, with the final installment in 'The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars' coming out next month. 'Turf Wars' one and two are everything I wanted them to be. If you are a fan of the original series, the comics defy expectations sticking to same quality in art and writing and giving a satisfying continuation of the characters, and if you haven’t seen the show, well go do that as well."