It's been a long campaign & now that we've had a few days to celebrate & gather the data to best as possible ascertain our impact, it's time to share just what we accomplished with your help:
In the end, we raised enough funds to air $140,378 for our television & radio ads. Here is a breakdown of the states we aired in:
Ohio:
$4,800 - Thank John McCain
$26,998 - Local Voices
Total: $31,798
Michigan:
$7,000 - Judgment
Total: $7,000
Nevada:
$5,000 - Judgment/Thank John McCain
$9,000 - Local Voices
Total: $14,000
Colorado:
$5,450 - Judgment/Thank John McCain
Total: $5,450
Florida:
$4,000 - Mamas for Obama
Total: $4,000
Missouri:
$74,130 - Local Voices
(includes $4,000 for Radio)
Total: $74,130
North Carolina:
$3,000 - Mamas for Obama
Total: $3,000
Montana
$1,000 - Special Montana Radio Ad
Total Spent: $140,378
What difference did it make? - We weren't budgeted for polling pre & post airing, so I'm pulling results from the markets we aired most heavily in, comparing the voting record to 2004 & again to the surrounding counties & statewide votes to somewhat gauge our effect:
In Nevada, we aired widely in the Reno/Washoe area on cable exclusively, so instead of comparing counties I am looking at the cable interconnect area's voting trends versus surrounding counties & statewide. In surrounding counties & statewide both there is a 7% increase in voting for Obama over the 2004 vote for Kerry. However, in the interconnect there was a 14% increase!
In Missouri, our ads featured citizens in 3 counties, Jasper, Greene & Cape Girardeau. Jasper, home of the Dana Snodgrass ad had an increase of 4% for Obama over Kerry's 2004 totals, while all surrounding counties rose between 1-2%. Cape Girardeau had a 2% increase, while the surrounding areas ranged from a 1% drop in Democratic support to a 1% rise with one county being at 3%. And in Greene County the increase was also 4% versus a 0 - 2.5% increase in surrounding areas.
In Ohio, we were predominately on the air in Columbus, however that area was flooded with media so this extrapolation may be the least reliable. However, using the same methodology: Franklin county had a 5% increase in voting for Obama over 2004, while neighboring counties ranged from 0 - 4%. We have a note from Barclay Hastings (whose ad was airing in Columbus) & his wife from election day to Alicia Dwyer & her brothers who produced his spot:
Alicia,
You and your brothers Michael and Jesse, have had the karma to be precisely at this point in history doing what you do best. Your ad ran even this morning on CNN 7AM news cycle here in Columbus, Ohio. The word Barclay received is that independents are breaking at the last minute for O'Bama. You may believe that your ad was instrumental in clinching the deal for many of the undecided.
Today as Barclay toured Ward 21, The Fightin 21st, many people he encountered have seen the ad. They were "blown away" by it. That's very powerful.
We want to add my voice of thanks to all of you for what you have contributed to this historic moment.
Warm regards,
Molly and Barclay
PS. Please forward our sincere appreciation to those who made it possible to air this ad.
Additionally, Barclay's ad was featured in a national study at media curves which showed that McCain's favorable rating dropped with all parties after viewing the ad. Here were the findings:
Favorability for Candidates Pre/Post Viewing of the Ad:
Obama Pre Post
All Responders 57% 59%
Democrats 89% 89%
Republicans 21% 25%
Independents 61% 62%
McCain Pre Post
All Responders 53% 49%
Democrats 20% 16%
Republicans 88% 83%
Independents 51% 47%
Plus 2% favorable for Obama & a 4% drop for McCain after viewing our ad! A 6% swing is the kind of numbers that can swing a state & an election!
I believe that from the figures, we can take from this that our ads did have an impact & that with a relatively small budget & genuine grassroots effort. And that is in addition to the real impact it's had on people's lives who appeared in our work: Barclay Hastings was honored to lead the Pledge of Allegiance before the Obama Rally in Columbus on 11/2, Dana Snodgrass has enjoyed an outpouring of support from across the country in reply to the negativity he first endured for speaking out publicly & expects to hav a net positive effect on his business, Sandy in Nevada has received orders from around the world for her handmade Obama bracelets & more.
I couldn't be more proud & grateful for this work & all of your help to make it possible.
What's Next? - I've had a vision that TruthandHope.Org would be vehicle to give the grassroots real access to advocacy work for candidates & causes. This cycle that concept was proven. From finding the first ads Judgment & Thank John McCain on DailyKos, which were initially intended to be just viral pieces, to lending our name to the Mamas for Obama, Elders for Obama so they had a chance to have their ads aired & a small group in Montana that wanted to create a radio ad for their state, to of course the Local Voices project which only began about a month before the election with a conversation between myself & Lee Hirsch who had been trying to find an outlet for his vision of Local people being featured in ads in their areas, but found that every door was shut until we spoke. By election day we had 13 ads, shot by three award winning directors in three battleground states & a team of 85 volunteers.
This is the true power of the grassroots, to be innovative & move quickly on good ideas. So, I will remain committed to that vision & carry on with TruthandHope.Org PAC, 527 & 501(c)(4) in order to continue to provide access to groups nationwide who wish to support candidates, causes, etc. without the burden of having to create organizations, hire attorneys, accountants, etc. It's about access & we will continue to provide a platform for that easy access into the future.
I hope you will continue to support us in that work, keep up to date on what we are doing & share your thoughts as well. And when the time comes that you have a need or a wish to use our platform for a national campaign or a local proposition or something in between, please contact me. We're not just grassroots as a fashionable term, but in action. It's an open door.
Thank you for all that you do,
Eugene Hedlund
Founder/Chair
TruthandHope.Org PAC