What the heck is “opposition research” and why is it important? That’s a question I typically get from novice candidate, and even some veteran candidates.
“Opposition Research” is exactly what it says. It is research into your opposition. It is important for you to know your opposition. It is important to know your opposition better than he/she knows him/herself.
Now some might say, oh, this is where you dig up the dirt. Actually, that is not true. It may be true that a good opposition effort will turn up something your opponent would rather not have revealed, but that’s not our problem, that’s his/hers.
I am reminded of a time I spent a good three weeks in a college library reading old issues of the college newspaper. I had discovered that while in college, our opponent worked at the newspaper. Since it wasn’t on line (in those days? NOT!) and it wasn’t even on microfilm, I had to sit and read each issue, cover to cover. It turns out that our opponent penned opinion pieces, sometimes on behalf of the paper, sometimes on his own behalf. I found one with his byline where he compared Founding Father George Washington to Vladimir Lenin. It wasn’t a very nice piece. Really popped ole George in the kisser. The rest of the campaign was spent by our opponent trying to “splain” what he was thinking way back then.
A similar thing went on recently in Colorado’s 7th District Congressional Race. Seems the Republican candidate, Rick O’Donnell wrote a paper a decade or so ago calling for the elimination of Social Security. Somebody from the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) apparently found that little tidbit while doing “opposition research” and now Mr. O’Donnell ispent an incredible amount of time (not to mention the energy wasted) time trying to “splain” what he was thinking "way back when."
But be warned, those two examples are the exceptions, not the rule. More likely a good opposition research effort will not turn up any “silver bullets” like those, but rather a mundane, probably boring account of the public record of your opponent. If you are lucky he/she will have developed a pattern of some sort that you can use. Maybe he/she stretches his/her resume a bit.
Resume stretching is common. The sitting Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, has for years claimed to have been drafted by the Kansas City Athletics Baseball club. Only trouble is he wasn’t. The Washington Post ran this lead paragraph:
“ALBUQUERQUE, Nov. 24 -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is coming clean on his draft record -- the baseball draft, that is -- acknowledging that his claim to have been a pick of the Kansas City Athletics in 1966 is untrue.”
Anyplace but New Mexico and that would be a real zinger. But in New Mexico, it caused hardly a ripple. The Republican Party of New Mexico had some fun with it, superimposing “Dollar Bill” mug on a baseball card, Other than that, not much came of it.
Good opposition research is perhaps the most important part of preparing for a campaign. Unfortunately most campaigns relegate it to the most junior volunteer. At the federal level, most of the opposition research is conducted by the national campaign committees. They, at least, understand the importance of the effort.
A good opposition research effort begins (and only begins) with a comprehensive public records, background check. Many (but not all) public records are on line these days so it is easier that it once was. However, anything turned up is an on-line search needs to be independently verified as the on-line stuff is rife with errors and mistakes.
This type of search will typically turn up past legal history, real property ownership, licenses, arrests, traffic violations, voter registration and a few other things. Generally, there isn’t much there, but it is a place to start.
If you opponent is an elected official, there are voting records, correspondence, meeting minutes and similar things to be checked. All or most of these takes a “boots on the ground” effort.
Pearson Communication Group is uniquely positioned to assist campaign in opposition research.
