In the general election, Fight Back NY closely watched the race of Tim Kennedy – the pro-equality winner of the primary election race against incumbent senator and Fight Back NY target Bill Stachowski. Kennedy was getting hit hard with negative TV ads. His opponent was Jack Quinn, who had voted against marriage three times as a member of the New York State Assembly.
From our research, we already knew exactly what agitated the voters in Buffalo. We decided to enter the general election race in a big way and tell voters why three-term Assemblyman Jack Quinn could not fix the well-established problems of Albany, and why new voices like Tim Kennedy were needed. We determined that the most effective role we could play to elect Tim Kennedy was on radio and TV. Fight Back NY committed over $200,000 to a TV and radio strategy in the Buffalo-area district – and helped make the difference between victory and defeat in this hotly contested race. With high unemployment and a sagging economy, voters in Buffalo wanted something different from Albany. Our ads (see below) let them know that Albany veteran Jack Quinn would not provide that. He had already spent six years in the state assembly, resulting in the same record of higher taxes, more debt, and late budgets.
Our TV ad (see below) – featuring the “revolving door” of Albany producing the same results year after year – was seen about 697 times over two weeks in highly targeted time slots. Our radio ad (see below) – focusing on the “circus of Albany” and the absurdity of the Capitol – was heard 138 times during a two-week period. It said plainly: “Every year we send the same people, like Jack Quinn, back to Albany and every year we get the same results: ‘higher taxes, more debt, and late budgets.”
In what proved to be a very close election – with Kennedy winning 43 percent of the vote compared to Quinn’s 40 percent (and 17 percent going to other candidates) – our investment proved to be critical in flipping this seat from a “no” vote to a solid “yes” vote on marriage equality.
Fight Back New York's direct voter contact in the district:
Watch the TV ad here:
Listen to the radio ad here:
Paid for by Fight Back New York. Greg Rae, Treasurer, PO Box 329, New York, NY 10008.
This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Copyright © 2012 Fight Back New York. All Rights Reserved.