KRISTEN GONZALEZ FOR STATE SENATE
We helped a grassroots candidate beat a million dollar machine
$1,000,000
SPENT BY OPPONENTS
3.6 to 1
SPENDING DISADVANTAGE OVERCOME
8
CONSULTING FIRMS DEFEATED
1
MORE SOCIALIST IN OFFICE
The Story
In 2022, New York’s 59th Senate district was remade out of parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. All it needed was a senator. Enter Kristen Gonzalez. A working-class girl from Queens whose commitment to the common good had taken her to Capitol Hill and back, she entered the race as DSA’s candidate to fight for a future for her home.
The Challenge
Midway through the primary, the Gonzalez campaign faced a sea change. New York’s courts abruptly redrew her district and pushed back the primary voting date. A conglomerate of real estate lobbyists, fossil fuel CEOs, and Republican donors raised $1,000,000 to smear her name. To win her election, Kristen needed to change the game.
How We Won
We armed the Gonzalez campaign with a political identity and narrative founded on shared struggles and dreams, uniting renters, long-time residents, new transplants, and generations of immigrants into an unbreakable bloc capable of defeating a machine-backed candidate funded by Republican and real estate money.
MESSAGING GUIDE
We crafted the messaging strategy that formed the core of the campaign’s comms, arming everyone from volunteer to candidate with a shared narrative to win.
NARRATIVE
Our slogan was used to refresh Kristen’s campaign, and appeared on all campaign material.
CAMPAIGN VIDEO
Our message was brought to beautiful life in Kristen’s campaign video.
The Win
Despite being outspent 3.6:1 and facing a machine with 8 consulting firms on retainer, Kristen Gonzalez handily defeated the establishment pick by a staggering 26 points, making her the youngest state senator in New York history and ensuring SD-59 joined the People’s Republic of Astoria.
