Strategy
Direct Voter Contact
At the time of this election, Utah’s second congressional district included about half of the state’s land (48.7% to be exact), so we had many demographics with unique interests. It included dense cities, rural farming towns, four colleges, four national parks, and many state parks and monuments.
In order to appeal to the varied audiences within the district, I created several standard campaign pieces (postcards, handouts, etc.), buttons (including for Hispanic heritage and Pride events), and other giveaways (shirts, stickers, and car magnets). To assist with fundraising, I also created two lines of print-on-demand merchandise that we advertised through social media and email.
In his final statement during the debate, Nick paraphrased Dr. Martin Luther King’s quote: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” There was so much support on social media that we adopted “Audacity to Believe” as the closing message, using it in messaging, on shirts, and as a title for a tour of the district in the last weeks of the campaign
Digital Voter Contact
The main call-to-action for our marketing materials was the campaign website. Here, voters could learn about Nick, read short and long versions of his policy positions, find voting information, contact him directly, and link to our social media channels.
This election was the first following an extreme partisan gerrymander, and the Wasatch Front (where about 75% of the state’s population lives) was surgically carved up. Many voters were unaware of which district they were now in, so I created a custom, interactive Google MyMap that allowed voters to enter their address and see if they were part of Nick’s district. Over 29,000 people viewed the map during the campaign.
Social media was also an important way of reaching and motivating younger voters. I worked with a team to create the content for six channels (four for the main campaign and two for Team Nick, which focused on voters under 30). Among the most impactful posts were the policy positions we shared weekly, a series of “constituencies for Nick” posts that could be downloaded and shared, and the closing video, which I scripted and edited.
Communications
During this campaign, I was the Communications Director. In addition to graphic design projects, I also worked on:
- Writing and editing content for the website
- Assisting in drafting and expanding policy positions
- Working with the Spanish translation team to make our content more accessible
- Creating social media content
- Coordinating with local and statewide press
- Crafting event messaging
In this role, I worked with many members of the campaign team, including student communications interns and campaign advisors.
