Campaign #216 is for Judge John O’Donnell and Judge Jennifer Brunner for Ohio Supreme Court
UPDATE: The address list for this campaign has been completed.
Are you ready to write in support of a Democratic majority on the Ohio Supreme Court? It’s been months in the works. Multiple meetings with David Pepper, Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, and his team to help them understand the sophistication, discipline, and effectiveness of Postcards to Voters’ process, technology, and – most important of all – amazing volunteers. They’re on board and ready to give us a unique role in boosting winning turnout for two Democratic candidates for the Ohio Supreme Court.
In the words of David Pepper
Like Pennsylvania several years ago, Ohio faces a once-in-a-generation opportunity in 2020 to end gerrymandering of its U.S. House district map.
After winning both Ohio Supreme Court races on the ballot in 2018 (for the first time in decades), Ohio Democrats are two seats away from the majority on the Ohio Supreme Court. In 2020, Democrats are once again challenging Republican incumbents with two strong candidates, Judge Jennifer Brunner and Judge John O’Donnell, who have experience running statewide campaigns. Thus far in our polling, Judge Brunner has been ahead in every poll, outside the margin of error; Judge O’Donnell, within the margin of error.
Compared to most statewide other statewide races, executing a successful formula to win Supreme Court races involves far less money. The candidates themselves rarely advertise on television, which is by far the most expensive aspect of running an Ohio statewide campaign. Instead, the key to victory is less about big TV ad campaigns than targeted voter education that ensures Democratic voters vote all the way through their ballot, including for judges, who don’t have a party affiliation next to their name on the ballot. Beyond having two great candidates, the primary reason we won both races in 2018 (including the first African-American Democrat to ever win a statewide election) is because we ran an aggressive and robust voter education campaign (mail, digital, sample ballots, slate cards, etc.) on the need for Democratic voters to vote all the way through their ballot, making clear who the Democratic judges were. As a result, for the first time in decades, Democratic “drop-off” (voters who stop voting on the ballot when they get to the judicial races) was well below Republican drop-off in both Supreme Court races. Due to having much lower drop-off, we won both races (even though we lost the Governor’s race by 3.5%), ending our lock-out from the court and helping to restore balance. And again, this was done without the millions it takes to run statewide television ads—so it was a highly cost-effective program. The bottom line: spend money wisely on reducing drop-off, you win. If we do that successfully again in 2020, we end Ohio gerrymandering.
Although we are confident in both of our candidates, their campaigns, and the plan we have in place to win these races, our formula only works if the top of the ticket is close. Fortunately, the state of play in Ohio right now looks to be an even better environment for Democrats than 2018 when we won both races. Just this week, a new poll from Quinnipiac University showed Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by one point in Ohio, just another reflection of the consistent favorable polling for Biden throughout 2020. Earlier in June, a Fox News poll of registered voters showed Biden leading +2 in the Buckeye State. But this is no surprise to the Ohio Democratic Party, as we’ve worked strategically and tirelessly the last two years to shift our suburbs back to blue and remind working communities about the impacts of Trump’s failed economic policies. In fact, our recent April primary marked the first presidential primary since 2008 where more Democrats (200,000 more) voted than Republicans. A blue Ohio is well within our grasp, and if Ohio is even close, it means that (like 2018), we can win both Supreme Court races.
Now, back to our pitch
Since these two Democratic candidates will appear on ballots without a “D” next to their names, Democratic voters won’t know which ones will serve on the court fairly and remain independent of special interests. Sending them fun, friendly postcards will give them something to nudge them in the right direction when they vote.
Let’s meet the challenge of this massive statewide effort and help Ohioans meet the redistricting effort with a chance for fair play.
Write on! ~Tony The Democrat