Kansas State House Representative Brad Boyd

The Challenge: Leverage Last-Minute Money to Flip a Red Seat in a Red State. Kansas House Republicans hold an overwhelming majority, upwards of two-thirds of the chamber. In 2022, Johnson County presented prime opportunities for necessary Democratic pick-up seats.

While it is true that Johnson County leans slightly to the left, Brad Boyd was fighting an uphill battle to flip a seat that had been held by Republicans since at least 2000. His opponent, Kristin Clark, had been endorsed by the district’s Republican incumbent Megan Lynn, Kansans for Life, and other extreme far-right organizations. With Clark boasting support from moderate Democrats, the race was tight and history of electing a Republican was threatening to repeat itself.

In the final two week of the election, Rep. Boyd’s campaign received a windfall of cash from the Kansas House Democratic Caucus. However, the unfortunate timing of the contribution limited the campaign’s opportunities to spend this money to its full potential — or so they thought.

Our Solution: Get a Brand-New Video Made and On Air in 48 Hours. At this point in the cycle, it was too late to send out another mail piece, and digital display ads were already running. With the campaign’s input, we agreed that the most effective way forward for Rep. Boyd’s campaign was to create a dynamic video ad. While the timeline of the project meant we were unable to complete a full direct-to-camera shoot, we successfully produced a voice over video with 15 and 30 second spots. We worked with Rep. Boyd and his campaign to draft a custom script and high-level messaging to highlight his genuine personal story and proven ability to fight for his constituent’s best interests in 24 hours. We had an approved video up and running within 48 hours.

The Result: A 3-Digit Vote Margin Win. While Republicans maintained power of the House, Brad Boyd won his seat by just 146 votes. If not for the last-minute video ad that ran on pre-roll and connected television, the partisan composition of the House would have remained the same.