Representative Sweeney

The new district that Representative Sweeney was running to serve consisted of voters she had never previously represented. During the primary race for the new 16th district, both candidates had “incumbent” status and but neither candidate had loyalty from the constituents. It was important and essential that this campaign made it clear that Representative Sweeney was the best candidate for the job, without hurting the Democratic party. 

In addition, there was a short turnaround time between the primary election and the general election. The primary election was on August 2, 2022, and the general election was on November 8, 2022. There were less than 100 days between the two races. This presented two separate but still valid challenges- being able to keep momentum and excitement for a candidate with no downtime between campaigns, and being able to pivot the campaign from primary voters to genal election voters in less than 100 days.

Data Genomix’s approach to the initial primary campaign was to use smart creative that focused on Representative Sweeney’s accomplishments, rather than comparing her to her opponent. The campaign needed to draw a distinction between the candidates, while not hurting the party itself, and not shining a negative light on the primary opponent. Instead of comparing the two candidates explicitly, Data Genomix focused on what made Sweeney different in general- her experience, track record of legislative accomplishments, and her endorsements. 

The pivot between the primary and general election required some more smart strategies. Not only did we have a new opposition candidate, the endorsed Republican, to run against, but a much larger voter universe, which would require entirely new messaging. In the primary election, the Sweeney campaign targeted democratic super voters, with ad content and voice to reflect what a party-specific audience would respond to. However, for the general election, it was necessary to pivot all campaign content and messaging to target a more general audience- not just democratic voters, but independent and soft Republican voters.

Another advantage that Data Genomix chose to turn into a strategy was Representative Sweeney’s age. At the time she was sworn into her office at the statehouse, she was 26 years old, and the youngest representative at the time. She was also the first woman to represent her district. Oftentimes, young politicians have a hard time gaining traction and validity in the eyes of voters- however, Data Genomix turned this misconception on its head to Representative Sweeney’s advantage. The Sweeney campaign focused on what all she was able to accomplish in her short tenure in office, and when compared to her opponent in the general election, she was able to show not only a fresh new face with new ideas and greater energy but a track record of getting things done.