HIT
Case Studies

In the 2023 Philadelphia mayoral race, Cherelle Parker faced a steep uphill battle, trailing in fifth place amidst a crowded field of well-funded opponents. However, through targeted research and a strategic messaging overhaul, Parker connected with voters on critical issues like public safety, ultimately securing a dramatic shift in momentum and winning the Democratic nomination.

In her re-election bid, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes faced a fiercely contested race, with GOP opposition and a divided electorate posing significant challenges. Through in-depth research and strategic messaging, HIT Strategies identified key voter concerns and crafted a compelling narrative that highlighted Hayes’s leadership on abortion rights and veterans’ issues, ultimately helping her secure victory.

In the 2018 gubernatorial race, Stacey Abrams came within 55,000 votes of flipping Georgia blue and making history as America's first Black female governor. Her near-victory was powered by a 16% increase in Black turnout over 2014.

In April 2022, HIT conducted a poll of 500 registered District voters to answer these questions. The poll was used as a proof point to mobilize support for the RCCA in the City Council and to fight Congressional opposition to the legislation. 

Following an election cycle in Virginia where the issues of crime and abortion dominated the talking points of political candidates, polling among registered voters in Virginia elucidated the effect of this discussion on voting behavior. Democrats outspent Republicans on ads by $7.6 million ($35.2 million versus $27.6 million, respectively). 1 While Democrats focused their ads on the topic of abortion, Republicans spent heavily in an attempt to make this election about crime and policing. This polling identifies future opportunities to motivate those who are not currently participating in elections to turn out to vote by addressing concerns around crime and public safety.

HIT Strategies and Service Employees International Union partnered to conduct over a year of qualitative and quantitative research to understand what would mobilize voters of color around the freedom to vote- freedoms that are being actively restricted from anti-democracy politicians.

This past summer, NAACP sought to gain a nuanced understanding of Black voters’ political attitudes in order to mobilize them ahead of the midterms. NAACP recruited HIT to conduct the studies with different subgroups of Black voters.

For years, right-wing politicians have hammered away on an economic message of smaller government and lower taxes, while progressives struggled to find clear and consistent language to effectively communicate about jobs and the economy. The Winning Jobs Narrative addresses this challenge by creating a narrative architecture for talking about jobs, work, and the economy in ways that strengthen our connections with working people across race, geography, and issues. Radical cooperation has been our guiding principle. No single project can deliver all that we need. So we set out to build on the work of colleagues and share our work widely to help inform a broader conversation. The progressive movement must be a movement for working people. Achieving that will take everyone’s contributions and long-term collaboration.

Our research revealed growing conservative skepticism toward key initiatives in economic mobility, education, global health, and climate. With the Trump Administration likely to hinder progress in these areas, we anticipate new obstacles but also strategic opportunities. By identifying shifting public attitudes and policy roadblocks, we can help organizations navigate these challenges and position their work as a solution for those seeking to counteract the administration’s impact.