Nebraska State Senator Victor Rountree

The Challenge: Contest A Prime Republican Pickup Opportunity. Nebraska’s third legislative district looked like a prime pickup opportunity for Republicans. In 2020, Donald Trump won the district by twelve points while Democratic Senator Carol Blood won by less than 1%. With Senator Blood term-limited out, Victor Rountree stepped up to succeed her. As an African-American, Rountree faced unique challenges. The district had a very small (5.3%) African-American population, had never elected an African-American, and Rountree’s Republican opponent, Felix Ungerman, was a fellow Air Force veteran just like Rountree. Also, Ungerman had deep political ties in the district serving as Republican Congressman Don Bacon’s campaign manager and Chief of Staff. Ungerman’s political ties helped him secure plenty of personal endorsements from local Republican leaders and most of the labor coalitions and other organizations that otherwise lean towards supporting Democrats.

To inoculate Rountree against the attacks we anticipated from his opposition, our digital ad program focused on Rountree’s identity as a decorated veteran and experienced budget manager. We could defeat Ungerman by demonstrating that Rountree understood economic issues through the theme of priorities: while Ungerman focused on non-economic extraneous issues, Rountree focused on the economy. Unlike many races around the country where Republicans were able to define the Democrats as having misplaced priorities, we were able to paint the Republican, Ungerman, as the radical who was out-of-touch with voters’ primary concern while keeping Rountree’s message clear and pertinent to what the voters cared about.

Our Solution: Developing A Nuanced Message And Delivering It To Those Who Need To See It Most. Focusing solely on the military background would not be enough to win due to Ungerman having a similar military background. But with the economy as the dominating issue, we could break through by demonstrating Rountree’s budget experience, helping address voters’ concerns about the economy. Equally important, we were able to do so through the theme of priorities: while Ungerman focused on non-economic extraneous issues, Rountree focused on the economy. Unlike many races around the country where Republicans were able to define the Democrats as having misplaced priorities, we were able to paint the Republican, Ungerman, as the radical who was out-of-touch with voters’ primary concern while keeping Rountree’s message clear and pertinent to what the voters cared about.

Developing the message was only part of the battle, we had to make sure the digital ads were delivered to those who needed to see them most. This was crucial because Rountree’s district was located in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. Not only did this district have a top Congressional race, but unlike most states, Nebraska allocates electoral college votes by Congressional District. As a result, the sums of money being spent on political advertising for federal races made Rountree’s resources relatively meager. Fortunately, we were able to accomplish targeting into individual homes through the use of Geofenced Addressable technology. Unlike IP- and cookie-matching, Geofence Addressable technology was able to target homes that were receiving mail and being canvassed at a 90% match rate. This full integration between digital, mail and field helped us break through in an incredibly crowded political communications marketplace.

The Result: Making History In Nebraska’s Second Congressional District. Despite the district’s strong Republican lean, Rountree achieved a groundbreaking victory. He won the seat by a slim 1.1% margin, while Trump easily won the district by 7 points. Rountree’s win didn’t just beat the odds, it made history. Victor Rountree is the first African-American person ever elected outside of North Omaha. When he is inaugurated this January, it will mark the first time in history that three African-American senators will serve simultaneously in Nebraska’s legislature.