f Woodward & McDowell: Services: Past Campaigns

No on Prop. 87 - Defeating a $4 billion oil tax

No on Prop. 68 - Defeating an expansion of gaming on non-tribal lands

No on Prop. 56 - A triumph of message over money

Yes on Prop. 47 - Passing the then-largest bond in U.S. history

Yes on Prop. 42 – Dedicating a gasoline sales tax to transportation

Yes on Prop. 35 - Changing complex government contracting procedures

No on Prop. 25 - Defeating popular campaign finance reforms

No on Prop. 8 - Exposing phony education reform

Yes on Props 111 & 108 - $18.5 billion in new gas taxes and bonds

No on Measure 4 - Defeating a popular triple trailer ban

Yes on Water District Bonds - Santa Barbara County

No on B, D, H & J - San Diego County Development/No Growth Battles

Examples of Past Campaigns

No on Measure 4 - Defeating a popular triple trailer ban

An emotionally charged campaign was gearing up to ban triple trailer trucks in the state of Oregon. Polls showed a daunting 80% of voters in support. W&M’s challenge was formidable: Acknowledge the voters’ fears, present credible information to calm them, and then ask them to take a hard second look. We built a grassroots coalition and together took our case to a fearful public and a skeptical press.

Our ad campaign and aggressive news media effort featured real people acknowledging the fear and delivering important facts to allay that fear. State police officers spoke about the excellent safety record of triples. Local business owners and recycling centers talked about the adverse economic and environmental consequences of replacing triples with a greater number of smaller trucks. We also organized a massive personal contact program, with thousands of volunteers delivering our message to nearly one million households.

We won editorial support from almost every newspaper in the state and an astounding reversal of public opinion – from an initial 80% support to a 61% opposition vote on election day.

Copyright © Woodward & McDowell, 2004. All rights reserved.