Case Studies

Defeating Ted Strickland (2016 Candidate for U.S. Senate; Ohio)

Defeating Ted Strickland (2016 Candidate for U.S. Senate; Ohio)

Ohio’s U.S. Senate race exemplified the power of America Rising’s tracking program to define a candidate. Early emphasis on tracking allowed America Rising to catch Ted Strickland confessing that his position at a liberal Washington, D.C. think tank had been his “dream job.” America Rising’s tracker also filmed Strickland discussing how many times and how long ago he had run for office, reinforcing the“Retread Ted” narrative that he had been branded with early on in the cycle.

America Rising also distributed audio of Strickland telling a labor union audience that the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia came at “a good time.” The audio clip earned nearly a quarter-million views online and was covered by every major news outlet in Ohio, national print, and online news sources.

In addition to tracking, America Rising focused its research on Strickland’s failed economic record as governor. Clients utilized this research in at least 26 anti-Strickland ads in the 2016 cycle. The combination of America Rising’s tracking and research utilized in early ads helped pave the way for Senator Rob Portman’s decisive win over Strickland.