JOE SESTAK, Candidate, 2010 Democratic Primary for Senate, Pennsylvania
Creating a Telephone Town Hall evangelist

The Challenge

Joe Sestak was no household name. He had been a member of Congress for only four years in one congressional district in suburban Philadelphia. And now, he was thrust into the spotlight running against an opponent who had experience, name recognition, and mega political backing. And, his opponent had recently gained notoriety for something else: he switched parties to become the Democratic candidate after 40 plus years as a Republican. The Joe Sestak candidacy was an uphill climb against a tough opponent who had won the endorsement of Barack Obama, Governor Ed Rendell, and the Democratic Party establishment.

The task was tall. How could we convince tens of thousands of voters that the unfamiliar Joe Sestak was the real Democrat in the race? 

The Solution

Telephone Town Halls were the perfect medium and a natural choice to make Sestak’s case. Sestak had a story to tell – decorated Navy officer, a Congressman known for his long hours and commitment to constituents, and a family man. Through a series of carefully-timed Telephone Town Halls, we introduced him to a statewide audience that knew little about him and positioned him as the true Democrat in the race. Our Telephone Town Halls gave candidate Sestak a perfect forum to have an in-depth conversation with potential voters. We helped him hone his message as if he were talking to a friend, leaving out the political jargon that often leaves constituents cold. Voters were able to ask him questions on issues that mattered to them and hear that Sestak was inline with their beliefs and needs.

The Result

With our Telephone Town Hall strategy, we could reach a large volume of voters simultaneously and convey our candidate’s cohesive message. After planning and executing four Telephone Town Halls where we called over 100,000 voters for each event, the participation rates were extraordinary. On average, 25% of the people we called chose to join our event. Over 100,000 voters participated in at least one of the Telephone Town Halls. In this personal forum, Sestak could explain to voters that he was the true democrat in the race with a firm hand on the progressive issues of the day. These broad scale outreach efforts proved to be an efficient use of Congressman Sestak’s resources and helped clearly deliver his message. Timing was critical. We conducted our events to peak at the release of his TV ads, giving voters an opportunity to hear the same theme in multiple mediums. When our events were the main paid communication, his polling numbers increased 7 points.

Congressman Sestak defeated the five-term incumbent in the primary with 54% of the vote and became a Stones’ Phones Telephone Town Hall evangelist. He shocked the political world by going up against the establishment and winning – convincingly.

Click to learn more about Telephone Town Halls