Winner & Mandabach Campaigns is a national, full-service ballot measure campaign and issue management firm. Our specialties include campaigns for and against initiatives, referenda, constitutional amendments, and bond measures, as well as long-term public policy-oriented issue management campaigns.
W&M oversees all aspects of ballot measure and issue campaigns, including strategic planning, public opinion research, advertising, direct mail, digital/social media, phone banks, earned media, and grassroots/outreach activities.
At Winner & Mandabach, we’re proud of our pioneering work in the ballot measure field. From the beginning, we’ve recognized that the dynamics of ballot measure and issue campaigns differ significantly from candidate campaigns. Over the course of more than 200 campaigns, our firm has developed and refined winning methodologies that address those differences.”
– Paul Mandabach, President, Winner & Mandabach Campaigns
UNIQUE METHODOLOGIES
The firm has developed unique methodologies in the ballot measure field, including customized approaches to the development of ballot measure strategies, opinion research, advertising production and placement, media testing, digital media, earned media strategies, and coalition building. The firm has produced and tested more than 2,500 television, radio and digital advertisements, and mail pieces for ballot issue campaigns.
EXPERIENCE & TRACK RECORD
W&M has more ballot measure experience than any other firm in the nation, maintaining a 90% win record on over 200 ballot measure campaigns—including city, county, and statewide referenda, initiatives, constitutional amendments, and bond measures. The firm has managed and consulted on campaigns in 31 states as well as on issues in Europe and Asia.
WINNING YES & NO CAMPAIGNS
Since 1990, the firm has won over 70 YES ballot measure votes, which are historically more difficult to win than NO votes. W&M is the only firm in the country that has passed such a large number of ballot measures.
BROAD ISSUE EXPERIENCE
The firm has directed campaigns and managed long-term public policy issues for a wide variety of clients of every size and sector, including energy, gaming, technology, taxation, health care, food and beverages, agriculture, biotechnology, local government control, deregulation and municipalization of utilities, education, sports, transportation, banking, civil rights, insurance, mining, land use, packaging, telecommunications, and water and the environment.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY
W&M has been at the forefront of introducing new technologies to the ballot issue space. The firm was the first in the ballot measure field to deploy the use of advanced data modeling and segmentation and the first to apply that data across multiple platforms of a campaign. In 2010, W&M was selected as the first ballot initiative firm to work with Nielsen and then Rentrak to deploy data-matched television ratings, allowing our campaigns to more efficiently and effectively target key voter segments. In 2018, W&M directed the largest and most highly targeted digital TV campaign of any statewide ballot measure race in the country, using advanced data-targeting to deliver multi-tiered messages to the hard-to-reach and “cord-cutter” universes.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Paul Mandabach
Paul Mandabach has received national recognition for his unparalleled winning record in the ballot measure field, having consulted on over 200 campaigns in 31 states and in Europe and Asia.
Paul’s campaign methodology has served as the sole model for a Harvard Business School case study on effective political campaign management and has been used in universities across the country.
In addition to directing ballot measure campaigns, Paul consults for various organizations and businesses on communications related to public policy issues.
Prior to entering the issue communications field, Paul began his career as a political and research analyst for Opinion Research of California and worked freelance on more than 20 candidate election campaigns. A graduate of Colgate University, he also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Occidental College and is a graduate of the Coro Foundation Public Affairs fellowship program in Los Angeles.
A native of Barrington, Illinois, Paul’s interests include literature, collecting rare first-edition books, photography, travel and ice hockey. He lives in Pacific Palisades, CA with his wife, Oriella, and has two grown children, Marisa and Jonathan.
Adam Stoll
Adam D. Stoll brings his unique blend of experience as a manager of political campaigns, public finance investment banker and traditional/digital advertising expert to all Winner & Mandabach Campaigns. In addition to his role as a Principal in Winner & Mandabach Campaigns, Adam runs two affiliated businesses, Target Enterprises and Bask Digital Media.
Since 2009 when Adam joined Target Enterprises and began his work with W&M, he has worked on over 30 ballot measure campaigns.
Adam previously spent five years at Goldman Sachs & Company as a Vice-President in the Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking group. Adam served as the Head of Pension Liability and OPEB Financing for his group as well as playing a leading role in the development of Public-Private Partnership models for infrastructure financing.
Prior to joining Goldman, Adam served as campaign manager for New York Governor George Pataki’s successful re-election effort in 2002. Adam spent 10 years as one of the top political advisors to Pataki.
Adam’s experience also includes advising Fortune 500 companies on politics and policy, as well as working on a number of local, statewide, and national campaigns. In 1996 Adam served as the Advertising Director for the Dole/Kemp presidential campaign, overseeing the entire national advertising program.