Our success isn’t luck — it’s strategy. While other firms stick to the same playbook, we know no two races are alike. That’s why we tailor every plan, every ad, and each ad we place to the district, the moment, and the candidate. Our ads — and our strategies — are anything but cookie-cutter. That's why we are able to win in "red" districts where other Democrats fall short.
Main Street has amassed the single best won-loss record of any media firm in the Democratic Party in terms of winning open seat races for Congress – our clients have won 15 out of 19! We have also helped defeat a number of Republican incumbents.
In 2024, we produced all the TV & radio ads for U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who was one of only three Democrats in the country to win a U.S. House seat in a heavily Republican district (R+7 or worse). We also helped U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) not only win in a rural district that borders Alabama for 150 miles, but run ahead of Harris (’24), Biden (’20), and Senators Warnock (’20 & ’22) and Ossoff (’20).
In 2022, we helped Rep. Kaptur not only become one of only three Democrats in the country to win a congressional race in a district Trump carried in 2020, we also helped her run further ahead of President Biden's 2020 score than any Democrat in any of the 435 congressional districts in the nation!
In 2016 and 2018, we helped re-elect Rep. Collin Peterson in a R+15(!) district in rural western Minnesota, despite Hillary Clinton garnering less than 31% of the vote in that CD. From the 2011 redistricting through the 2020 election, Rep. Peterson represented what was by far the “reddest” congressional district in the country to be held by a Democrat -- and we re-elected him each time.
In 2016, we helped Maryland State Sen. Catherine Pugh come from 12 points down despite being outspent to become Mayor of Baltimore. In the process, she defeated the former mayor in a race in which The Baltimore Sun said Pugh had "the best ads in the city."
In 2014, in a terrible year for Democrats, we helped re-elect (and in 2010 we helped elect) County Executives Kevin Kamenetz (Baltimore County, Md) and Greg Fischer (Jefferson County, Ky).
In 2012, we helped re-elect two of the three Democrats to win in the three “reddest” districts in the nation to be won by Democrats, U.S. Reps. Peterson and Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), Rep. McIntyre won the closest House race in America (by 551 votes) and won in an R+12 district in which President Obama’s vote share was less than 39% (the only Democrat in the country to win such a race for Congress).
In 2010, the worst year for Democrats in nearly five decades, our clients won four out of five “toss-up” races for Congress, including U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly in northern Indiana who became the only targeted Democrat in a four-state region (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin) to win re-election – 14 of 15 Democratic incumbents lost, but Joe won (in a R+4 district) – despite being outspent on TV!
The common denominators in each of the aforementioned races were a smartly conceived, unconventional and well executed strategy and creative, attention-grabbing TV, radio and digital ads.
In the toughest cycles — including 2010, the worst year for Democrats in decades — our candidates not only held on, they won. What Do These Wins Have in Common? Smart strategy. Tailored messaging. And creative that cuts through the clutter to deliver a powerful message.
STUART ROTHENBERG, ROTHENBERG POLITICAL REPORT, ON REP. MIKE MCINTYRE'S 2012 RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN (NC-7)
We’ve consistently helped diverse candidates succeed in newly drawn districts in historically underrepresented areas. As redistricting has created more seats with significant minority populations, we’ve built winning strategies tailored to those communities — with messaging that resonates and creative that stands out.
We know how to help diverse candidates break through to win tough Democratic primaries. To date, we have helped elect or re-elect more African Americans to Congress (10) than any other media consultant in the country. That list includes U.S. Reps. Frank Ballance (NC-1), Sanford Bishop (GA-2), Corrine Brown (FL-3), John Conyers (MI-13), Elijah Cummings (MD-7), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL-2), John Lewis (GA-5), David Scott (GA-13), Maxine Waters (CA-43), and Albert Wynn (MD-4).
We also helped elect Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-7) in a majority-Hispanic district — demonstrating our ability to build winning coalitions across communities and demographics.
The bottom line: we help our clients win the toughest races.
Winning a crowded Democratic primary requires more than a good résumé — it takes clarity, contrast, and discipline. These races often feature shifting coalitions, unpredictable turnout, overlapping bases of support, and limited resources -- all against the backdrop of a cross-pressured electorate. We help our clients rise above the noise with smart messaging, efficient media, and creative ads that define a lane no one else occupies.
We’ve helped clients win high-stakes, multi-candidate primaries for Congress primaries across the country, including U.S. Reps. Mike McIntyre and Frank Ballance (North Carolina), Sanford Bishop (Georgia), Allen Boyd (Tallahassee), Corrine Brown (Jacksonville), Steve Cohen (Memphis), Elijah Cummings, Raul Grijalva (Tucson), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (Chicago), Marcia Fudge and Dennis Kucinich (Cleveland), Marcy Kaptur (Toledo), Ken Lucas (northern Kentucky), David Phelps (southern Illinois), David Scott (suburban Atlanta), Albert Wynn (Prince George’s & Montgomery Counties)and John Yarmuth (Louisville) – often despite being outspent. They won these races because we know how to message in crowded markets, and we know how to help our clients develop a contrasting, distinguishing message and stand out from the pack.
In addition to helping candidates win elections, we have helped corporations change public perceptions and organizations advance ideas and philosophies. In Cleveland, we helped a coalition of pro sports teams, including the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers, win a referendum campaign to pass a tax increase that would pay for improvements and repairs to their stadium, ballpark, and arenas.
In New York State, our work for the Greater New York Hospital Association and Service Employees International Union 1199 helping save hospital jobs and valuable health care programs prompted the New York legislature to raise taxes and override the governor’s veto more than 100 times!
With a strong record of success and a lengthy list of satisfied clients, we are prepared to serve those looking for creative and effective ways to achieve their objectives through strategic communications.