Montana Conservation Voters - Victory for Brian Schweitzer
The gubernatorial candidacy of Brian Schweitzer was one of Democrats’ brightest spots of the 2004 election season. One key element of his victory was an independent expenditure on his behalf by the Montana Conservation Voters. Winning Mark developed a program that included an absentee recruitment mailing and two direct mail persuasion pieces. By rooting our messaging in both the protection and use of Montana’s natural heritage, we were able to communicate in a way that resonated with Montana’s frontier atmosphere and played a significant role in the Schweitzer victory.
This is an example of how Winning Mark has been able to translate conservation messages into language that works with more rural, conservative electorates. That’s not to say we were winning over hard-core conservative Republicans: this was one of two mailings we did that went to a list made up largely of environmental IDs. However, those folks in a state like Montana have a somewhat broader range of attitudes. They include a bit more of the “hook and bullet” crowd. This piece was designed to address the interests of the entire range of conservation-minded voters. It nods to those who care because they use the land and those who have a more traditional environmental bent. For the more progressive elements, it helped signal that this somewhat conservative ranching Democrat was still the choice.
July 5, 2006 | Filed Under: Candidates | Permalink
