Spencer Wetmore

Political Consulting

 

When SPEAK Strategic was brought on to help run Spencer Wetmore’s campaign for House District 115, a swing district in Charleston County, we knew it would be a long and interesting road to victory. Two other quality Democratic candidates had already been in the race for several months, including the previous Democratic nominee for the last several cycles.

Our first poll showed Wetmore at 3%, far behind the other Democratic candidates. And to make matters even more complicated, the incumbent Republican resigned after being appointed US Attorney for South Carolina, forcing a special election on top of a regular election. The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented in-person canvassing, complicating the prospect of breaking through a crowded field.

SPEAK implemented an aggressive fundraising program to try and quickly make up ground, as well as a COVID-conscious voter contact plan. And three months after SPEAK produced and released Wetmore’s announcement video, she came in a close second on primary day, forcing a runoff two weeks later. In one of the closest elections in South Carolina history, Wetmore won the primary runoff by just five votes. In the special election two months later, Wetmore defeated the Republican nominee by an overwhelming twenty-point margin, flipping the Republican seat for the first time in a decade. Less than three months later, she secured a full two-year term by defeating the same Republican candidate in the general election. In December, Wetmore was appointed to the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

What SPEAK Did: 

SPEAK CEO, Tyler Jones, partnered with McIntosh Consulting to serve as general consultants. SPEAK’s Matthew Miller and Davia Bunch served as campaign managers for the special election and general election, overseeing and fundraising, field, and communication strategies. SPEAK also designed Wetmore’s direct mail.