Biden’s Brutal Polls; Does Direct Mail Actually Work?

July 13, 2022

Biden’s Brutal Polls

Last week’s New York Times/Sienna poll was absolutely brutal for President Biden. The headline was the 33% job approval number, bringing the Real Clear Politics average down to 38%. Of that 33%, only 13% were “strongly approve.”

Only 26% of Democrats want the party to nominate Biden for re-election in 2024.

The numbers for 18-29-year-olds are brutal for Biden:

10% say the country is on the right track (13% overall)
19% approve Biden’s job performance (33% overall)
1% strongly approve of Biden’s performance (13% overall)
94% of Democrats would prefer a different nominee in 2024 (64% overall)

This is your friendly reminder that off-year elections are about base turnout, and candidates need to get their lower-propensity voters energized. (And if you think the progressive response to the Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade is going to get their voters to the polls, only 5% of voters see it as the “most important problem facing the country today.”)

Does Direct Mail Actually Work?

“I never look at direct mail.”
“It goes right to the trash.”
“Nobody reads that stuff.”

We all hear it. It turns out (surprise, surprise) that the echo chamber of the average campaign isn’t exactly accurate.

The US Postal Service and the American Association of Political Consultants did a bit of research, and 57% of respondents to their survey said direct mail was the most memorable form of political advertising they received in the last election cycle.

Direct mail is highly targetable, allowing campaigns to tailor a specific message to a specific voter.

The trick, of course, is to write and design a piece that cuts through the clutter and stands out in the mailbox.

Ascent Strategic designed and sent 81 unique mail pieces in 2019-2020, totaling more than 3 million pieces.

Our mail won THREE national awards for our strategy, copywriting, and design this year alone.

If you’re interested in talking about how you can make direct mail work for your campaign or organization, please contact us today.

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