CASE STUDIES

Yucca Mountain
Faced with powerful opposition from a coalition of casinos and environmental groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce turned to Mike Hudome at MPGH for an issue advocacy campaign to secure support for President Bush’s proposal to store the nation’s nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The casinos and environmental groups targeted moderate Republican Senators with hard-hitting television and radio ads raising questions about the safety of President Bush’s plan. In just a weekend, MPGH produced 12 different radio ads and purchased $1.5 million of media time in 44 markets. The ads presented a clear choice for Senators: Stand up for your constituents and support President Bush’s plan to get the waste out of their communities or side with the out-of-state special interests who want the waste to continue piling up in their communities. The ads, which aired during Congress’ weeklong 4th of July recess, were pivotal in securing Senate support for President Bush’s Yucca Mountain plan. On July 9, 2002, the Senate voted 60-39 to move forward with the proposal.

Maryland Republican Party
“Operation Sustain”
Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich was facing overwhelming odds stacked against him when he vetoed bills passed by the Democrats that left virtually no one free from tax increases. The Maryland Republican Party turned to MH Media for help. We developed “Operation Sustain,” an advertising and earned-media campaign aimed at getting enough votes to uphold Governor Ehrlich’s veto. Our message - “Aren’t Maryland Families Taxed Enough?” – became a clarion call for overtaxed voters. The campaign we developed reminded Marylanders that the tax policies of former Democratic Governor Parris Glendening and Democrat Speaker Michael Busch drove the state into the worst fiscal crisis in Maryland’s history. Our campaign plan pressured Democrats in districts that voted for Governor Ehrlich in his stunning 2002 election upset. Our tactics included radio and print advertising, mobilization of grassroots activists in key districts, organizing third-party allies, all aimed at increasing public awareness about the stakes at hand. Maryland Republicans succeeded in sustaining Governor Ehrlich’s veto on two of the three bills in the Senate.

Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association
Lawmakers are often too quick to satisfy every wish of professional sports franchises. When the Florida Marlins wanted to tax Miami cruise ships to finance a new stadium, a bill giving them permission went speeding down the fast track in the Florida Legislature. Opponents of the tax increase turned to Mike Hudome at MPGH to stop the tax. The firm assembled an experienced team of campaign veterans who used modern, political-style television advertising to focus public attention on the pain the tax would bring Miami. Hudome and his associates organized a large, camera-friendly rally in Tallahassee that featured hundreds of people whose jobs would have been lost if the tax had been implemented. With mounting public pressure against the tax, the legislation the Marlins wanted eventually hit a solid brick wall and died in committee.