CASE STUDY: A Re-Election Triumph Against a Democratic Surge

The Problem
Sheriff Mike Bouchard, a longtime incumbent Republican, faced a tough challenge in his 2024 re-election bid in Oakland County, Michigan. Over Sheriff Bouchard’s 25-year tenure, Oakland County had shifted dramatically more Democratic, leaving Sheriff Bouchard as the sole countywide Republican officeholder. Another wrinkle: the 2024 presidential race with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump at the top of the ballot intensified straight-ticket voting risks and threatened to overshadow Sheriff Bouchard’s long-standing record and positive name ID.

The Goal
The campaign needed to break through straight-ticket voting, so the goal was set high to outperform the top of the ticket. To do so, we needed to remind voters that Sheriff Bouchard’s re-election revolved around “Service, Experience, and Qualifications” and not politics. We needed to stay hyper-consistent with the message and repeatedly reinforce that Sheriff Bouchard was a sheriff for everyone.

On the other side of the race, Sheriff Bouchard’s Democratic opponent was a radically liberal musician and activist with no law enforcement experience, a record of drug and legal issues, and statements he made questioning his own commitment to the Sheriff’s job should he be elected.

All of that provided a clear contrast that we highlighted and leveraged through positive and contrast messaging.

The Plan of Action
Majority Strategies crafted a comprehensive, omni-channel plan to highlight Sheriff Bouchard’s strengths and pull in the support of non-traditional voters.

Positive Messaging
We focused on the theme of “Service, Experience, and Qualifications” to contrast Sheriff Bouchard’s record with the opponent’s extremism.

Data-Driven Targeting
We identified custom audiences for persuasion and activation/turnout, including targeting Swing and Independent voters and traditional Democrat voters who had come to know, respect, and appreciate the Sheriff’s decades of commendable service. Custom audiences were also built from various local and ethnic communities where Sheriff Bouchard had a long history of working on issues.

Creative Content
We coordinated across print and digital, including social media, digital advertising, video, radio, search advertising, and web, to ensure we stayed on message and delivered the repetition needed to persuade and activate voters.

The Details

Website
The campaign’s website brought a fresh, modern look to the campaign and served as a vehicle for videos, information about Sheriff Bouchard, and details about his accomplishments. The site also provided supporters with a way to sign up for more information and stay engaged with the campaign.

Digital Advertising
Our digital advertising audiences focused on Republican voters, Swing general election voters, and Lean Democrats, aimed at increasing Sheriff Bouchard’s positive name ID, highlighting his qualifications, experience, and leadership, and turning out voters. Over two months, social media and video advertising reached over 450,000 voters on Facebook, Instagram, programmatic video, YouTube, and OTT. Over 4 million impressions were delivered through digital display ads, and search ads targeted law enforcement and election keywords to drive traffic to the campaign’s website.

Direct Mail
Over 600,000 pieces of direct mail were created, printed, and delivered over several weeks, targeting Swing absentee voters, high-turnout Lean Democrats, Swing voters with children, and seniors. Voters in communities like Pontiac, Madison Heights, and Beverly Hills, as well as Jewish and Arab American voters, were also sent specific messages related to Sheriff Bouchard’s early law enforcement experience, his work as a former state legislator, and his heavy involvement in those communities.

The Results
Sheriff Bouchard won re-election with over 60% of the vote, defying Oakland County’s 53% Democratic and 45% GOP straight-party voting trend. Sheriff Bouchard also improved upon his 2020 margin of victory by +11.7%.

Key Takeaways
Majority Strategies helped to secure Sheriff Bouchard’s re-election through a comprehensive use of all the tools in our toolbox – from creative videos and custom audiences to multi-channel outreach, including digital and print – over a well-funded, long-term campaign. The “Service, Experience, and Qualifications” message, tailored to specific custom audiences of Swing, Lean Democrat, or targeted community voters, ensured the right people received the right message at the right time on the right medium.

View the full case study and samples of our work here.