Case Study

Bill Pascrell
Wins Big in NJ

Over 90% of Passaic County cast their ballots for Bill Pascrell

Challenge

After the 2011 redistricting process, New Jersey’s 9th Congressional District saw two incumbent Democrats facing off for the same seat. Congressman Steve Rothman’s base of voters lay predominantly in Bergen and Hudson Counties while Congressman Bill Pascrell’s base of voters lay in Passaic County.

Pundits and political insiders predicted a landslide victory for Rothman early on and some encouraged Pascrell to withdraw from the race. Historically, the Pascrell portion of the new district represented about 34% of the votes to Rothman’s 66%. Further, many Pascrell voters had been displaced by massive flooding in 2011.

We proved all of the experts wrong. Not only did we win - we won overwhelmingly. The strategy and organization provided by Field Strategies helped deliver a 300% increase in my base turnout, and the margin of victory."
— Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr [D-NJ]

Solution

Working in tandem with the Pascrell campaign’s highly disciplined group of battle tested veterans, Field Strategies deployed a team of experienced operatives tasked with recreating the electorate and driving Passaic County to record turnout.

  • Program Goals:
  • Massive voter registration and re-registration in Passaic County.
  • Voter Pledge Card Drive
  • Comprehensive voter contact program with multiple messaging layers culminating in 14 points of voter contact.

 

Results

The veteran Pascrell team surpassed expectations at every level. Nearly 12,000 people registered to vote in advance of the primary according to county records and Passaic County saw an unprecedented 270% increase in turnout from the 2008 Senate Primary. Over 90% of Passaic County cast their ballots for Bill Pascrell. The vote accounted for 54% of overall votes cast and Congressman Pascrell won in a landslide, 61% – 39%.