Some big policy updates slipped under the radar last week during a busy news cycle. In case you missed it, moderate House Democrats forced a deal with party leadership to decouple the $550 billion infrastructure bill from the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill.
At Resonate, we’re here to help our clients achieve their desired policy outcomes by leveraging issue-focused insights and 1:1 targeting designed to maximize pressure and persuasion when you need it most.
What happened in Congress?
The infrastructure and budget bills got split up because they didn’t have a chance at passing together. On its own, the infrastructure bill (which deals with fixing traditional infrastructure like roads and bridges) passed the Senate with bipartisan support. Pelosi has committed to a House vote on infrastructure by the end of September.
On the other hand, the ambitious budget bill is a Democratic wish list that will likely receive zero Republican votes. That’s why it’s a “reconciliation” bill, meaning it can pass the Senate with a simple majority, but that still means that every Democratic Senator needs to vote yes. The problem (or not the problem, depending on where you stand): a couple of Democratic Senators may not play ball.
A deep dive into the data and targeting
Below, we’ll analyze a national audience of frequent midterm voters who are passionate about traditional infrastructure issues and can help push the roads and bridges bill over the finish line in the House.
Next, we’ll pivot to niche audiences in Arizona and West Virginia, the homes of two Democratic Senators who will likely decide the fate of the budget reconciliation bill. Even Bernie Sanders is considering traveling to these states to dial up the pressure. We can accomplish that in a purely digital environment because we already know where the right audiences are online – on both sides of the spending bill…
But first, a deeper look at midterm infrastructure voters
With the House vote on the infrastructure bill roughly a month away, campaigns that want to dial up public pressure should start by targeting the right voters.
Available for immediate activation, the Resonate Ignite Platform™ has identified a national audience of roughly 19M frequent midterm voters who are prioritizing infrastructure improvements amongst their policy concerns.
While the majority of this audience is Democrat, these voters span the political spectrum.
This is a heavily male audience and leans senior.
While these voters want to see mass improvements in infrastructure, they are also environmentally cautious. They value safety and are driven by reliability and competency.
When framing messaging to this audience, the above insights lend themselves nicely to a campaign centered on responsibly upgrading infrastructure and transportation in the 21st century.
Arizona midterm voters to rally for the budget bill
Arizona Democratic Senator Kristyn Sinema has already stated she won’t vote for a $3.5 trillion budget bill.
A big piece of the budget bill is spending to strengthen the social safety net. If campaigns want to dial up support for the bill in Arizona, they can start with frequent midterm voters who – because of the coronavirus – now support this type of spending to expand the social safety net.
The Resonate platform has identified 795k voters online who meet this criteria – available for immediate targeting.
As expected, this is an audience that values caring for and being accepting of others. These are also voters who care about the environment, another key piece of the budget bill.
An important swing state insight, this audience is not all Democrat. While 59% are Democrat, the remainder are equal parts Republican and Independent.
Looking to engage these voters online? You’ll have better luck on Twitter and Pinterest than on Instagram.
West Virginia midterm voters to rally against the budget bill
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin will also be a critical vote on the budget bill. The Resonate platform has identified an audience of roughly 288k fiscally conservative registered voters online in West Virginia who would oppose such a big price tag.
Compared to the average West Virginia voter, this audience is over 30x more likely to vote in midterm primaries and midterm general elections.
These voters are 76% more likely to support Mitch McConnell’s Senate leadership, meaning they’ll be looking for Manchin to vote with McConnell on the budget. As expected, this audience leans heavily Republican.
Who does your campaign need to understand better and target?
The segments analyzed above are just a few of the thousands of micro-segmented audiences that we can help you analyze and target immediately.
What are your top issues? What audiences sympathetic to your cause do you need to reach, educate and/or drive to action? Where do you need to build support?
We are here to help. Request a demo or give us a call at 855.855.4320.
