Open seat. In the Democratic primary for Ohio's newly drawn 3rd District, Joyce Beatty faced former Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy, state Rep. Ted Celeste (brother of former Gov. Dick Celeste) and Columbus City Councilwoman Priscilla Tyson. Kilroy had 94% name ID and millions to spend, and a poll released seven weeks out had her ahead 48% to 14%. The primary had also been moved up from May to March, shrinking the time Beatty had to catch up, and with two credible Black candidates in the race, most observers expected the Black vote to split. Days before the election, a local analyst said, “I don't think it will be close.”

Primary challenge. A Justice Democrats-endorsed challenger spent $900,000 against Beatty. Then Ohio postponed its March primary at the last minute, after early voting had started, and turned it into a vote-by-mail election in the middle of a pandemic.

Open seat. Our polling showed primary voters didn't want a candidate who would “go along to get along,” so Beatty's first TV spot said exactly that: she would fight for jobs, stand up to the Tea Party and protect Social Security and Medicare. We paired it with Black radio featuring Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's endorsement. Then we threw a “long ball,” spending almost two-thirds of the communications budget in week five, while TV time was cheap and before presidential Super PACs flooded the airwaves. We kept it positive with a soft contrast, “the new voice is Joyce,” while the ground game broke the mold by targeting 12,000 “drop-off” voters in an early March primary.

Primary challenge. We ran the entire program virtually across streaming TV, network TV, digital, mail and field. Our ads focused on Beatty's record as a progressive who gets things done for her district, in a tone closer to a public service announcement than a campaign spot. Our most-watched ad simply explained how to request and return a mail ballot. Beatty never aired a single attack ad.

Open seat. The next tracking poll showed Beatty within a single point of Kilroy with 10 days left. She won 38% to 35%, a 1,400-vote win.

Primary challenge. Our ad completion rates rose 20%, and Beatty won 68% to 32% in a race Politico called “hard to predict.”