We recently had the opportunity to participate in the Minnesota House 40B Special election for the Paul Wikstrom campaign through our Ramsey County Community Action Team. We were coached by the best players from MNGOP and the MN House Republican Campaign Committee. We had top notch volunteers who were experienced in running campaigns. No special election in the history of Minnesota politics turned out more than 20% of the voter base. The pundits were sure that we would win with 5,000 votes. The campaign was focused on getting out our base to vote. Here is what we accomplished:
- Raised $130,000
- Spent $80,000 Campaign Limit
- Independent Organizations Spent $170,000
- Targeted 6,700 Republican Voters
- Expected Win at 5,000 votes
- DFL Got 8,000 Votes – GOP 4,000
So what happened? It is very simple. They had a bigger army than we did. Take a look at the Presidential map in MN for the 2024 election.
The Battle is In the Burbs
90% of the MN counties vote Republican. But the big population counties vote Democrat. Let’s zoom in to the St. Paul area.
The battle is in the suburbs!
Why did we lose in 40B? There are 70% of them and only 30% of us. If we are ever going to turn Minnesota red, the battle is in the burbs. Our foundational problem is that there are not enough Republicans to take control of the MN house, Senate, and Governor. We are so, so close. We are tied in the house and the senate. One Senate district could change the balance of power in 2026.
Marketing Warfare
There is a very insightful book by Al Ries and Jack Trout called Marketing Warfare. The book describes how small businesses can compete with large companies to provide a better product or service. This book teaches how to apply military strategies to defeat an enemy that is 100 times larger. Here are a few principles:
- Only Fight Battles You Can Win
- Focus All Resources On These Battles
- Do Not Get Drawn into Losing Battles
- Pick Off Strategic Geography First
- The Enemy’s Size is Their Weakness
Examples of successful use of this strategy are plentiful in military history. How did the British defeat the Spanish armada? How did General Washington defeat the British in the Revolutionary War? They picked them off little by little in battles they could win.
This proposal is a plan to use Marketing Warfare to gain control of the Minnesota House, Senate, and Governor.
Define the Program
The program is called I Used to Be a Democrat. It is a story-telling media barrage that gives a voice to everyday people who woke up and saw the deception they had been indoctrinated into believing.
Almost everyone in Minnesota grows up being a democrat. How could you not? For the past 30 years the democrats have had the media and the schools. Saturday morning cartoons are nothing but save the planet or nerds are great. For decades, the schools have been pumping the young brains with mush that is full of progressive principles.
But something happens when people start working, paying taxes, having children, and seeing the woke agenda conflict with what their common sense tells them is true.
The goal of the program is to collect, produce, and distribute stories of people who woke up. These stories will be published in many formats. There will be a one-hour documentary that will feature the best of stories. There will be social media advertising that will post stories and play 15 and 30-second stories in targeted battle zones.
Program to Get the Content
Getting these stories should be easy. Each time we give a presentation about I Used to Be a Democrat, we get half a dozen folks coming up with people they know who switched. So how do we get these stories. We need to engage a regional grassroots network of conservatives through our Community Action Teams. We’ll give them a program that is fun, easy, and is funded.
The first step in how this will work is to create a Pilot Program to collect, publish, and promote I Used to Be a Democrat stories. These stories will be placed on the Restoremn.org/ACTION site. They can be submitted in writing, voice message, or selfie. Instructions will be provided how to submit written and video stories, and a phone number will be provided to collect voice message stories.
Here are a few examples:
Jill A. St. Paul, MN – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaYhuGD4ZYA
Pam Altendorf – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pybVtrFE_Bk
May Lor Xiong – https://youtube.com/shorts/K0Q8449eXKw
More details will be provided as we move forward with the I Used to be a Democrat program. Meanwhile, start planning your own story if this fits you. And think about those you know who might be willing to share their story of I Used to be a Democrat.
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