KATHY HOCHUL FOR
REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR

We unmasked
New York's governor

4,087

LAUNCH DAY SITE VISITS

251,000

IMPRESSIONS IN APRIL

12

CAMPAIGN "STAFF" RECRUITED

1

TRUTH REVEALED

The Story

For all of New York’s reputation as a progressive state, Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 budget was anything but. Despite having a Democratic supermajority in the legislature, she had filibustered the state’s budget process in an attempt to force through a rightwing agenda that would roll back key progressive gains while gifting private interests billions.

The Challenge

With negotiations between Hochul and the legislature’s leaders happening behind closed doors, the only way to bring pressure was through public outrage. But the media preferred to act like pundits on the sidelines, giving her cover to delay the budget while failing to convey to the public the stakes of her proposals.

The Campaign

We used our insight into Hochul’s past as a Conservative candidate to cut through these insider framings and refocus the public’s attention on the concrete, human stakes of the budget with her real campaign: Kathy Hochul for Republican Governor of New York.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

We brought this idea to life in just a few days. After seeding with an op ed from a collaborator, we debuted our site through a massive Digital Campaign Launch across social media, sending an unexpected jolt through Albany’s malaise.

CAMPAIGN TEAM

We quickly identified enthusiastic boosters on Twitter, who we recruited into a “campaign team” through a DM boost group. Directing them in character, they helped build buzz, engage reporters and local political figures, and recruit additional “volunteers.”

PR FLACK

Our “campaign manager” regularly blasted out Republican-style press releases to build the buzz, netting response from both reporters and actual Republican legislators online. He then went rogue, offering bribes for positive coverage, which at least one reporter had to publicly refuse.

The Results

When the budget finally passed on May 1st, Hocuhul’s most reactionary policies were blunted, and some vital progressive policies broke through. Governor Hochul can no longer claim to be anything but an enemy of the left. The Kathy Hochul for Republican Governor Campaign has since lain dormant in this non-election year, but in an increasingly heated political climate, could easily awaken at any moment.

For the right price.