Progressive Coalition Statement on Democratic Victories in Virginia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2017
Contacts
Josh Schwerin, Priorities USA Action, [email protected]
Beth Lynk, Planned Parenthood Votes, [email protected]
PROGRESSIVE COALITION STATEMENT ON DEMOCRATIC VICTORIES IN VIRGINIA
Washington — Today, Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC, Planned Parenthood Votes, Priorities USA Action, Virginia League of Conservation Voters PAC, NextGen America, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee are pleased to congratulate Governor-elect Ralph Northam, Lieutenant Governor-elect Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark Herring and Democratic candidates for the House of Delegates throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia on their hard-earned victories.
Since September, Priorities USA Action, Virginia League of Conservation Voters PAC, NextGen America, Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC, Planned Parenthood Votes, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee have been engaged in a $2.9 million first-of-its-kind digital partnership to reach over 2.4 million voters in an effort to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in Virginia. These groups, convened by Planned Parenthood Votes, coordinated everything from the development of their respective program budgets, to who they were talking to, the messages they were delivering and the timing of their delivery.
This cutting-edge partnership consisted of:
- Sharing creative resources, targeting and audience information and data-driven insights on the efficacy of each ad.
- Pioneering a brand-new method of delivering new ad content based on each user’s engagement and interest in the content the user has already received.
- Constant testing, feedback and analysis to better tailor ads for the Virginia race and to develop best practices for the Democratic Party’s digital strategy for the 2018 midterms.
“When it comes to women’s health in Virginia, everything is on the line, which is why we were proud to convene this cutting-edge coordinated digital program that reached over 2.4 million Virginia voters in total. This effort will set the precedent for coordinated investment and execution of a digital media program to reach, persuade and mobilize voters in a statewide race,” said Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC. “Ralph Northam is a proven champion for women and families, and he knows firsthand the health care problems Virginians face. We are delighted to call him Governor-elect.”
“NextGen was proud to be a key member of this unprecedented digital table, and we know by working together with our progressive allies we brought home a win for Ralph Northam. NextGen was able to lean in hard on our core constituency, young voters, and target more than 380,000 young people with innovative digital ads. With exit polls showing Northam winning these voters by a 2-to-1 margin, it’s clear this was an incredible success,” said Olivia Bercow, NextGen America spokeswoman.
“Priorities is proud to have been part of a winning Democratic effort that stood up for our values and against Donald Trump’s radical agenda,” said Guy Cecil, Chairman of Priorities USA Action. “Tonight’s results show that building a robust digital infrastructure to break through echo chambers and reach voters online is more vital than ever, and Priorities will be working to replicate our success in races around the country in 2018.”
“We couldn’t be more proud to be part of this effort and this win,” said Mike Town, Executive Director of Virginia League of Conservation Voters PAC. “Clean air, clean water and clean energy are clearly part of the future Virginia voters want.”
“Deepening Democrats’ investment in reaching voters where they spend their time online is the very reason ACRONYM exists and we’re proud to have worked alongside our table partners to run this unprecedented effort in Virginia,” said Tara McGowan, CEO of ACRONYM. “We look forward to building on this progress and scaling our investment in digital innovation to help Democrats across the country win in the many critical races ahead.”
“Our investment in this digital program was a key component in the National Democratic Redistricting Committee’s strategy to support Ralph Northam and Democrats down the ticket in Virginia,” said Kelly Ward, Executive Director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. “When young and minority voters show up to the polls, Democrats do well. As we look ahead to critical elections next year, we must continue finding creative ways to connect with voters.”
“Gillespie’s racist campaign – straight out of the Trump playbook – backfired today,”said Adrianne Shropshire, Executive Director of Black PAC. “Progressive communities including communities of color in Virginia came out in full force to stand up against white supremacy and stand for the candidates who will take their demands for racial and economic justice seriously.”