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Six and Counting: Aurora Campaign Office Opens
December 7, 2009
Bucking the trend to run a slick campaign, heavy in spending and light on substance, Jacob Meister, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, opened his sixth campaign office Monday and continued his grassroots strategy of engaging and employing people in their own communities.
“Personal attention and direct contact is something that is missing from our politics,” Meister said. “Our campaign staff and offices are evidence to voters that we are on the ground, listening to their needs and their concerns right in their own backyards.”
Aurora makes six. Meister for U.S. Senate has campaign offices in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, Urbana-Champaign, Peoria, Wheeling and Homewood. Meister is the only Democratic candidate in the U.S. Senate race who has opened field offices outside of Chicago.
“When more than 10 percent of Illinoisans are out of work, I think spending millions of campaign dollars to blanket television is just plain wasteful,” Meister said. “Chances are folks will tune out and tune in to our message of creating jobs, rebuilding our economy and bringing prosperity back to Illinois through the best means possible – neighbor to neighbor.”
Meister added that his initial strategy of opening field offices statewide was intended to be augmented by a major media buy. However, after talking to voters, young and old throughout the state, the campaign decided to focus on building its organization and using targeted media to support its physical outreach efforts.
“This strategy contradicts conventional wisdom of advertise early and often,” Meister said. “But for candidates to spend a half million dollars on TV to reach voters who can barely pay their electric bills smacks of arrogance and is a real disconnect with the everyday challenges that Illinoisans face. Our outreach shows voters I am accessible and accountable to each and every one. That will continue when I am elected to be their voice in Washington.”
