Independence USA
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** November 7, 2018
 Contact: Stu Loeser & Co.

21 of 24 Democratic House Candidates Supported By Mike Bloomberg’s Independence USA Poised To Win Midterm Elections

BLOOMBERG SPENT MORE THAN $110 MILLION TO ELECT DEMOCRATS

AS OF WEDNESDAY MORNING, 21 OF 24 HOUSE CANDIDATES SUPPORTED BY BLOOMBERG ARE WINNING:
California 25 (Katie Hill v. Rep. Steve Knight
California 48 (Harley Rouda v. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher)
California 49 (Mike Levin v. Diane Harkey)
Colorado 06 (Jason Crow v. Rep. Mike Coffman)
Florida 27 (Donna Shalala vs. Maria Elvira Salazar)
Georgia 06 (Lucy McBath v. Karen Handel)
Illinois 14 (Lauren Underwood v. Rep. Randy Hultgren)
Kansas 03 (Sharice Davids v. Rep. Kevin Yoder)
Michigan 08 (Elissa Slotkin v. Rep. Mike Bishop)
Michigan 11 (Haley Stevens v. Lena Epstein)
Minnesota 02 (Angie Craig v. Rep. Jason Lewis)
Minnesota 03 (Dean Phillips v. Rep. Erik Paulsen)
Nevada 04 (Steven Horsford v. Cresent Hardy)
New Jersey 11 (Mikie Sherrill v. Jay Webber)
Oklahoma 05 (Kendra Horn v. Rep. Steve Russell)
Pennsylvania 06 (Chrissy Houlahan v. Greg McCauley)
Texas 07 (Lizzie Pannill Fletcher v. Rep. John Culberson)
Texas 32 (Colin Allred v. Rep. Pete Sessions)
Virginia 02 (Elaine Luria v. Rep. Scott Taylor)
Virginia 10 (Jennifer Wexton v. Rep. Barbara Comstock)
Washington 08 (Kim Schrier v. Dino Rossi)
 
LOSSES:
Florida 06 (Nancy Soderberg vs. Michael Waltz)
Georgia 07 (Carolyn Bourdeaux v. Rep. Rob Woodall)
Washington 03 (Carolyn Long v. Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler)
 
STATEMENT FROM MIKE BLOOMBERG:
“By winning the House, Democrats can now serve as a bulwark against a White House that has shown no respect for the rule of law – and no interest in bringing the country together. The Democrats’ gains demonstrate that the American people want Congress to stand up to a reckless, divisive president – and to work across the aisle to tackle tough issues. Millions of Americans poured their hearts into the campaign to retake the House – and I was proud to be a part of the effort. We can do better in America today, and we must start now.”
 
BLOOMBERG’S SUPPORT IN THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTIONS INCLUDED:
Bloomberg’s PAC, Independence USA, was actively involved in 24 House races: Supporting partners working on key issues – women, guns, environment
  • Everytown for Gun Safety
  • Planned Parenthood
  • EMILY’s List
  • League of Conservation Voters
  • Priorities USA
  • Vote Vets
Get out the vote and persuasion efforts To learn more, please visit independenceusapac.org/Campaigns/2018-elections/.
 
BACKGROUND ON BLOOMBERG’S SPEND IN THE 2018 MIDTERMS:
In July, Mike Bloomberg announced that he would spend $80 million – eventually growing to more than $110 million – to support Democrats this November. Bloomberg’s decision was driven by his deep concerns over Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress that have consistently enabled the President. 
Like many Americans, Bloomberg believes that our country is deeply divided, that the president is fueling those divisions, and that the Republican Congress has stopped acting as a co-equal branch of government.  Since September, Bloomberg has traveled across the country to speak with voters about the consequences of the Midterm elections. 
 
Bloomberg’s spending was guided by the following principles:
Focus on the House – Bloomberg focused his spending – which by cycle’s end was over $110 million – in the House of Representatives because he believed that the best chance for Democrats to regain power in Washington was in the House.

The Road to 218 Goes Through the Suburbs – Bloomberg believed that the road to a Democratic majority in the House went through the suburbs – where voters were particularly turned off by Trump. Bloomberg’s political spending, through his Independence USA PAC, focused on 24 House races that were regionally diverse and mostly suburban.

Talk to Base and Swing Voters – Bloomberg was determined to speak to both Democratic base voters and persuadable voters in the middle – believing both groups would be critical to flipping the House. Base turnout is always critical in a midterm – but Bloomberg believed that there were swing voters available for Democrats if attention was paid to them.

All Elections are Local – Except Where They Are Not – Independence USA ads focused on highly local issues – like flood control in Houston and wildfires in Los Angeles – but also on national issues like taxes, health care and gun safety. In addition, the PAC ran two ads that appealed on behalf of Democrats generically to counter President Trump’s extreme rhetoric at the campaign’s close and to ensure that voters heard a positive message in support of Democrats.

Go Big, Go Early on Digital – Independence USA’s paid media strategy was comprised of an early heavy digital program. After Republicans dramatically outspent Democrats on digital ads in 2016, Bloomberg made the decision to invest heavily in an early digital program aimed at both persuasion and mobilization. He supported the largest digital program to support Democrats this cycle – a $12 million program which included over 5,000 creative variations.

Go Big, Go Late on TV – Independence USA spent $45M on television in the last two weeks, much of it in very expensive markets, thus freeing up partner resources to focus elsewhere.

In God We Trust, Everyone Else Bring Data  –  Data played an important role in Independence USA’s spending this cycle. Polling, modeling, ad testing, digital performance data and qualitative research informed both messaging and targeting. In addition, data and lessons learned that were gathered from the digital program informed television strategy.

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