Leadership Conference On Civil and Human Rights
Background In 2006, major portions of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965—one of the cornerstones of the civil rights agenda—were up for renewal by Congress and some Members from affected states indicated they would attempt to derail passage. LCCHR engaged The Mellman Group to develop a compelling message around renewing the VRA and design…
CAFE
Background Though it had been a priority for environmentalists for decades, fuel economy standards had not been raised in this country in over 30 years. In 2006, after analyzing the political dynamics, we advised a key funder that the time may be ripe to achieve the long sought after increase. In response, a coalition engaged…
Governor Pat Quinn
Background Illinois Governor Pat Quinn faced the toughest re-election predicament of any statewide candidate in 2010. An unelected governor who ascended to his position by dint of the high-profile scandal that led to the impeachment of his running mate, Rod Blagojevich, Quinn sought voters’ approval during the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. Those…
Alliance for American Manufacturing
Background Between 2000 and 2010, more than 50,000 manufacturing facilities in the United States shut their doors. For the first time since the Great Depression, the US no longer leads the world in industrial production. Meanwhile, manufacturing is thriving in countries like China and Germany, where industry receives strong government support. The Alliance of American…
Senator Barbara Boxer
Solution Senator Boxer, the campaign and The Mellman Group recognized the challenge early and mobilized accordingly. More than a year before the election, we conducted focus groups among swing voters across the state to explore evaluations of the Senator and develop a strategy to steel her against the battle to come. Voters knew Senator Boxer…
Senator Harry Reid
The Early Going Going into the 2010 cycle, most analysts were giving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid virtually no chance of re-election. Our assignment was to develop a strategy that would beat the odds and prove the prognosticators wrong. The first element in that strategy was an early run of positive ads designed to break…