Case Study: Senator Maria Cantwell

Washington State

Entering 2006, Maria Cantwell was considered the most vulnerable Democratic Senate incumbent of the election cycle. Her razor thin margin of victory over Republican incumbent Slade Gorton in 2000 set her up for a tough reelection in and of itself. In addition, Cantwell's support for the Iraq war alienated liberals in Seattle, a key part of her base, leaving Cantwell to contend with primary challengers and discontent from the Left.

When Safeco CEO Mike McGavick announced he was running against Cantwell and would self-finance, he cleared the Republican field. McGavick had been Gorton's chief aide and architect of his successful campaigns, so it was assumed McGavick would run one of the best Republican campaigns in the country.

Our challenge on the Cantwell team was to communicate to the voters Cantwell's substantial accomplishments because, even after 5 years in office, Washington State voters knew very little about Cantwell or the work she'd been doing.

We knew our ad campaign had to accomplish two things. The first was to show voters how Cantwell has been putting the people of Washington State first. We needed to be very specific about her accomplishments and her priorities. The second was to humanize Cantwell by connecting her to real people and showing that she's one of us.

Our strategy was to run a straightforward campaign to show whose side Maria Cantwell is on and who and what she's been fighting for and against. We stayed consistent, each ad making that point and furthering the argument. And we had the patience to let the ads do their work.

In the end, our 19 point margin of victory was a far cry from entering the year as the most vulnerable Democratic Senator in the country.