It’s hard to break through when running for a House seat. Which is why the most innovative tactics come from House races. That’s why I’m thrilled to connect with CJ Warnke. As Communications Director for House Majority PAC, few people have a better view of the full House map or which candidates are finding innovative ways to connect with voters.
CJ has led communications at HMP through two election cycles, and I’m excited for him to share his insight on using candidate time to drive a narrative and reach voters in places many of us haven’t thought to look for them.
This is ON BACKGROUND:
5 short questions. 5 quick responses on what’s working, what isn’t, and what comes next in Democratic communications, featuring the wisdom of CJ Warnke, Communications Director for House Majority PAC.
CJ, is there a candidate you see hitting a theme or tactic that others should be emulating?
This cycle, I am so thankful for the fact that Democrats have been able to recruit really stellar candidates that are contesting seats deep into Trump territory – and one of the candidates that stands out the most to me is Bobby Pulido in TX-15 who’s in a tied race in a seat that Trump won by 18 points in 2024. Pulido is a small business owner and singer who completely flipped the script after his opponent Monica De La Cruz made fun of him for performing at quinceañeras.
Pulido and his team are now consistently on offense and are barnstorming quinceañeras across the district. It not only serves as a great opportunity to meet with voters but it breaks out of the mold of traditional campaigning, and every quinceañera he attends brings De La Cruz’s remarks back to the surface and shows just how out-of-touch she is. It’s a great example of how more Democrats should capitalize on a Republican gaffe. Don’t just issue a strongly worded press release about it. Take the case directly to the voters and find new ways to engage with them about it directly on the ground.
HMP occupies a unique space in the campaign ecosystem. How are you thinking about how to best use earned media to amplify your paid activities?
While traditional media consumption is definitely declining, it still touches every single department and can make or break a race. A great example of marrying earned and paid media together in a competitive race is PA-08 where Republican Rob Bresnahan is up for re-election.
Bresnahan’s secret helicopter and hundreds of stock trades broke through not only on a national level but on a district level as well. Those stock trades in particular are probably the thing his constituents know the most about him – and they have set the tone for the race. The stories in the New York Times and local Pennsylvania outlets were devastating character hits that we can now double down on through every form of paid media, and they set up a clear contrast between Bresnahan and Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, who is best known for taking on the machine and corruption.
The paid media you’ll start seeing in the fall will hammer home the message that has been repeated over the last year and a half: Rob Bresnahan is a stock trading politician who isn’t looking out for you, only for himself. That devastating negative doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It comes from a year and a half of introducing it and making it a central theme over earned.
What’s one thing you think Dems are getting wrong or need to change up?
One of my biggest pet peeves is how Democrats retain talent over time. While I unfortunately don’t have a clear solution to this problem, it’s a slow ticking time bomb that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. We can not have some of the best staffers in Democratic politics sit unemployed for months after the end of every cycle. It not only pushes these folks out of politics, but it also erases any and all institutional knowledge.
That knowledge and experience is crucial to leveling up our campaigns cycle after cycle – and it’s something that Republicans have actually done a good job with over the years. They don’t let their good campaign staffers sit unemployed for months at a time. They find the organizations, committees, and official side offices that are ready and willing to staff up right away and it gives them time to regroup and trade vital information and experiences on what is working and what isn’t working.
What’s one thing you want to shout from the rooftops to your peers?
A play-it-safe communications strategy of a press release and a few pre-drafted tweets just is not going to cut it anymore if you really want to break through – and this goes for both campaign and official sides. Two communications teams that I think are really embracing the “do it all” communications strategy are the folks working for Mayor Zohran Mamdani and North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson.
In North Carolina, with over 2 million followers on TikTok, Jeff Jackson has done a phenomenal job of being able to translate what a member of Congress and now Attorney General actually gets done for their constituents. His team has been extremely proactive on local North Carolina subreddits in giving updates from his office – the responses from his constituents are almost always positive and people really appreciate the communication.
We all obviously see the Mamdani content on a fairly regular basis, but there is a whole operation out there ensuring that the videos of him are filmed in a way that allows for short form clipping that then can spread out across all major social platforms. Looking forward, it’s imperative that clipping operations become a central part of all communications departments moving forward.
All that to say, remember that we represent people who live very different lives than campaign and official staffers live – which means we need to always be on the lookout for how to best engage where they’re actually getting their news.
Lastly, anyone you think we should make time to talk to?
I would not be where I am in my career today without having worked for Lauren Hitt, and she is one of the top communications staffers out there. All these years later, when I come across a problem my first thought is always, “What would Lauren Hitt do?”
Thanks for your time, CJ