November 3, 2010
AKPD Congratulates Clients Around the Country
AKPD Clients Overcame Historic GOP Wave Election in Key Gubernatorial and Congressional Races Across America
AKPD Message and Media congratulated its clients today on hard-fought victories across the country, headlined by the historic re-election of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.
Voters rewarded Gov. Patrick for his work steering Massachusetts through the national economic crisis, with his state leading the nation in job growth and student achievement.
Other AKPD clients made national headlines Tuesday, including:
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE
AKPD led TV and online advertising efforts on behalf of California Working Families for Jerry Brown, providing Brown critical support as he faced an unprecedented advertising onslaught by Meg Whitman. California Working Families’ efforts allowed Brown to save his resources for the Fall and beat back Whitman’s unprecedented spending of more than $140 million of her own fortune.
Throughout the Fall, AKPD was instrumental in the Million More Voters project led by the California Labor Federation, targeting union and union-friendly households and helping turn out key support for Jerry Brown and the Democratic ticket.
CEDRIC RICHMOND–LOUISIANA’S 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
State Representative Cedric Richmond was one of only two Democrats to oust Republican incumbents Tuesday, defeating popular Congressman Joseph Cao by 30 points in the New Orleans-based district. Richmond’s record as a state legislator—passing tax breaks for companies to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina and working to keep guns off of New Orleans’ streets—stood in stark contrast to Rep. Cao’s votes with the Republican leadership in Washington.
BRUCE BRALEY–IOWA’S 1ST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Congressman Bruce Braley held on to his Eastern Iowa seat despite being attacked by over $2 million in outside spending by the Chamber of Commerce and the American Future Fund, one of the shadowy groups funded by anonymous donors. The race was the subject of a New York Times editorial highlighting the insidious role outside groups have played in this election. Both the New York Times and Politico noted that Braley was one of the few Democrats in competitive districts to run proudly on his votes for health care reform and the economic stimulus program, which was critical to softening the impact of the financial crisis on his district.
CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL
Responding to a late wave of attack ads against Democrat Kamala Harris funded by outside groups, AKPD led an independent expenditure advertising campaign through the Million More Voters project to strengthen Harris during the final week of the campaign. The positive ads illustrated Harris’ record as a crime fighter and a leader who had taken on predatory lenders and corporate interests, helping propel her to a small lead in the yet-to-be-called California AG’s race.
TOM DiNAPOLI—NEW YORK COMPTROLLER
Tom DiNapoli beat back a stiff challenge from Republican Harry Wilson to win a full-term as New York State Comptroller, despite being outspent 3:1. A former hedge fund manager, Wilson dumped millions of his own money into the race and had the backing of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York Times and nearly every major newspaper. But DiNapoli overcame widespread anti-Albany sentiment across the state, running a strong campaign on his efforts to bring transparency and accountability to the state pension fund and root out corruption
JIM MCGOVERN—MASSACHUSETTS’ 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Jim McGovern easily won reelection in the face of a strong Tea Party challenger and spending by outside groups. Rep. McGovern was rewarded for his focus on getting results for his district, highlighting his work to bring new companies and new jobs to Central and Southeastern Massachusetts.
