Damn Smart: Kate Brown’s Media Strategy in the SoS Race

The Oregon Secretary of State race can only truly be described as a cluster f*ck.  I tried to come up with another phrase that would work, but after asking my roommate for help, I realized it was futile.  It seems as if the entire Senate Democratic Caucus jumped into this race. Oregon AFL-CIO President Jon Chamberlain, as quoted by Jeff Mapes, said it best:

[Chamberlain] said he didn’t expect [an endorsement] at the December meeting in the races for secretary of state or attorney general. “The secretary of state’s race is a toughie for us because we’ve got all of our friends in there,” he said.

With four well qualified Democrats vying for the right to take on an, as of yet, nonexistent Republican, differentiation is key.  The first test was provided last week, when the Oregonian editorial board suggested moving to a nonpartisan SoS.  The initial volley from State Senators Vicki Walker and Rick Metsger came in a PolitickerOR article, where they fought over column inches.

State Sen. Kate Brown took a different and highly successful approach. In the initial PoliticOR article, Brown responded that she needed more time to study the Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature proposal for a nonpartisan SoS.  Then she hit back with an email to supporters:

But, like it or not, voters use party affiliation as one tool in making their decision on candidates and no candidate running for office even if it’s non-partisan, will suddenly shed a lifetime connection to one party or another. Making the Secretary of State office non-partisan will limit the information available to voters when we should be giving them more information. 
Let me re-iterate, I believe that the unimpeachable integrity of the Secretary of State is sacred and that the Secretary of State should not participate in any election in which the public has placed their trust. Under my watch, there will be no fox guarding the hen house. I will keep Oregon from becoming another Florida.

In her email, Brown scored points with having spot on analysis. In addition, Brown successfully used an anecdote about winning her first election by 7 votes to underscore her commitment to fair elections.

The most important aspect of Browns position was the media response to the email.  Unlike Walker and Metsger, who fought over column space, or State Sen. Brad Avakian who failed to tender a position, Brown stayed above the fray.  In doing so she looked thoughtful for taking more time to consider the Public Commission on the Legislature’s proposal, and when Brown did publish her position people wanted to listen.  Articles in PolitickerOr and Blue Oregon gave Brown her own columns, and her response was even mentioned in the print edition of the Oregonian.

In a race so crowded differentiation is key.  In the first test of the race Kate Brown’s team comes out ahead.  Brown let others fight for the initial attention and then calmly stepped into the spotlight when the time was right.

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Tags: OregonSecretary of State, OR-SoS, Kate Brown, Vicki Walker, Rick Metsger, Brad Avakian