City Council Campaign
Pamela Campos
Pamela Campos is a rising progressive leader in her hometown of San Jose, CA. In 2023, she launched a grassroots campaign for City Council to tackle persistent challenges like rising youth homelessness and housing instability for working families.
Her opponent was a retired law enforcement officer. In an election year favoring “law-and-order” candidates, she needed to turn potential vulnerabilities (her youth and first-time candidacy) into strengths.
The Challenge:
Establish unifying and authentic campaign narratives to build visibility and close an 11-point primary deficit.
Strategy & Execution:
Our work started with a communications and political landscape audit.
I reviewed demographic data, public opinion research, and qualitative data from campaign leaders who had done extensive canvassing to craft a messaging plan.
Key strategies included:
Building Credibility: We positioned Pamela as a policy-savvy advocate and educator, leveraging endorsements from the Democratic Party, unions, and elected officials.
Boosting Name Recognition: We built Pamela’s visibility through a drumbeat of personal stories and consistent campaign promises across digital and print media, which were reinforced through a dedicated field outreach team.
Countering Misinformation: I developed a rapid response message framework to deploy as-needed across public channels. This tool addressed false information head-on and provided facts and solutions to neutralize opponent attacks.
Mobilizing Resources: Through storytelling-driven emails with strong calls-to-action, we energized a grassroots base of volunteers and donors.
Content
Impact:
Pamela out-fundraised her opponent and defied statewide trends to win the race, becoming the first Latina and youngest Councilwoman in San Jose City Council history.
Our strategic, research-driven messaging turned potential weaknesses into decisive strengths, proving the power of narrative consistency and voter-driven messaging in delivering electoral success.
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