When Ascend partnered with the Sherrill campaign in May 2025, the email program was already engaging existing supporters and maintaining strong deliverability. But repetitive messaging and static audiences were keeping the program from reaching its full potential — and New Jersey’s unique campaign finance structure precluded investment in list acquisition, text rentals, in-house SMS, or ads.
We grew the program through cost-free means: overhauling content to better capture Mikie’s message, building new mobile-optimized email templates, aggressively reactivating lapsed subscribers (particularly Gmail names around high-impact moments), and strategically pursuing partnership opportunities with other campaigns and organizations including the Democratic Governor’s Association (DGA). The most effective messages leaned into contrasts between Mikie’s military background and the GOP’s record, the national stakes of the race, and competitive polling that showed a tight margin.
The result was a digital fundraising program that raised over $4.75 million in six months — powered by an email operation that grew steadily more lucrative through the primary and exploded in Q3, helping fuel a massive victory that changed the national conversation. Mikie is now Governor-elect of New Jersey.
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