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312 Clay St / Suite 300 / Oakland, CA 94607

415.615.0311 info@bmwlcampaigns.com

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John Whitehurst

Principal

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John has directed more than 200 political campaigns over the last 25 years. He has one of the best win records in California, guiding candidates and ballot measures to victory throughout the state.

John has helped hospitals, schools, colleges and transportation systems secure billions of dollars in public finance measures at the ballot. He has managed successful independent expenditure campaigns for labor and business interests and led groundbreaking candidate campaigns.

John has helped candidates win at every level of government, including Santa Clara Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, Supervisor Catherine Stefanie, former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., former State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, California Governor Jerry Brown and former State Senators Mark Leno and Noreen Evans. Prior to co-founding Whitehurst/Mosher, John started Whitehurst Campaigns and worked at Clinton Reilly Campaigns. His first professional political campaign was Gary Hart for President in 1984 where he learned to organize in Iowa, Pennsylvania and California.

John holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from American University. John loves all things Italian — from traveling to Italy to enjoying Italian food and wine. Currently, he is learning how to play the guitar.

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How we win

The Right Mix of
Experience and Passion

Our team has won campaigns at every level of government and throughout the state. We use this experience to implement creative strategies and produce high-impact media to win for you. We will maximize every dollar you raise with out-of-the-box strategies and creative designs that will help you break through the clutter and connect with voters.

At BMWL Campaigns, we possess all of the talent and experience in-house to direct and carry out all facets of a successful campaign, including strategy, communications, grassroots organizing, targeted field campaigns, and turnout. The BMWL Campaigns team represents an unparalleled breadth of experience and expertise, capable of handling all components that bring our clients a win.

Strategy

At BMWL we understand that a winning strategy is tailored to the strengths of every individual client. That’s why we use our combined experience of winning over 250 campaigns to build a research-based and data-driven path to victory that’s unique to you.

The creative strategies you need to win

A unique approach and custom campaign for every client that maximizes your impact
Strategies that are research-based and combine the latest tools in political research with our extensive experience
Real-time data and extensive analytics shape our strategy, messaging and decision-making.
Close, personal attention to provide the individualized strategies and campaign plans you need to win

Featured Project

San Francisco Supervisor Myrna Melgar

See this in action

Supervisor Myrna Melgar was the first Latina elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco history. She started the campaign with very little name recognition or institutional support, but through an aggressive and creative campaign strategy, we won handily on Election Night.

Digital Media

BMWL creates eye-catching digital advertising and dynamic targeting to get the most out of every media dollar. We use the newest and most effective tools to develop and execute compelling digital communication strategies to engage your target audience.

Effective digital and social media is a key component of a winning campaign’s media toolbox

Utilizing the latest tools and variety of data points to ensure a successful digital strategy
Communicating your campaign theme through the best messages and messengers on a multitude of digital platforms
Dynamic and engaging content crafted to break through on every platform and every device
We don’t just report numbers, we provide the insight and context the campaign needs to drive decisions

Featured Project

Yes on Measure B

See this in action

Measure B was a critical parcel tax renewal that guaranteed much-needed funding for Menlo Park City School District over the next decade. We used a targeted media program that highlighted are best messages and messengers on a multitude of digital platforms to drive up parent turnout for a landslide victory.

Field Organizing

We use decades of experience and the latest technology to run effective and expansive field campaigns. Our field plans utilize multiple tactics to reach voters and coordinate them to maximize impact, driving turnout and engagement.

Data-driven grassroots campaigns that move voters

State-of-the-art tools combined with extensive data and research to ID, persuade and turn out your voters
Well-crafted and executed community and political outreach programs that validate your campaign and support field outreach
Marrying traditional field organizing with paid and organic digital organizing tools to increase impact
Innovative vote-by-mail and get-out-the-vote campaigns that drive your supporters to take action

Featured Project

Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee

See this in action

A military veteran and long-time Democratic activist, Otto Lee ran against a wide field of strong candidates for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in District 3. Using a dynamic and effective communication and field strategy pushed Otto into the top two primary with Assemblymember Kansen Chu, and then ultimately to victory in November.

Direct Mail

BMWL Campaigns produces award-winning direct mail that breaks through the clutter to tell your story. We design and deliver high-impact direct mail campaigns that find agreement with voters and give them compelling reasons to vote for you.

High-impact media that breaks through

Eye-catching, effective designs that highlight your message in unique and engaging ways to inspire voters
Innovative media that tells your story through concise and attention-getting text, brings your messaging to life and stands out in the mailbox
Custom, targeted universes that utilize extensive voter data and research to connect your campaign with the right voters
Direct mail that’s coordinated with the rest of your media program to ensure consistent messaging and maximize the impact

Featured Project

State Senator Josh Becker Independent Expenditure

See This In action

Public policy innovator Josh Becker faced the challenges of any political newcomer in his race for the highly sought-after Senate District 13 seat — low name ID and the need to effectively communicate with every voter in the District prior to Election Day to earn their vote. We ran an effective direct mail campaign on behalf of an independent expenditure committee that highlighted Josh’s extensive experience and the Democratic values he shared with the voters in his district.

Messaging

Our team has mastered the art of storytelling and carefully crafted messaging to effectively influence voters and key decision-makers. We use the combination of outstanding visual content and compelling narratives to form a unified voice.

Carefully crafted messaging that finds agreement with your target audience

Distilling the best messaging and the most advantageous ways to deliver it to the audiences you need to win
Telling your story in an authentic and compelling way that is meaningful to voters in game-changing ways
Creating a compelling narrative that allows you to stand out and motivate your target voters to take action
Delivering the right message at the right time to the right audience on the right platforms, maximizing your impact

Featured Project

FixLA

See this in action

Fix LA is a coalition of community groups, faith-based organizations, working families and others who came together to advocate for vital city programs and services that have been cut. We worked with the coalition to develop clear, concise and hard-hitting messaging that helped FixLA Coalition expose wasteful city contracts with big Wall Street firms and win the restoration of vital LA city services and the creation of a targeted local hiring program in disadvantaged communities.

Television

BMWL Campaigns manages every aspect of the television process from creation to production to placement, allowing for maximum synergy and impact of your campaign. We produce award-winning television ads that tell your story in powerful and compelling ways that break through the noise.

Powerful creative combined with impactful placements

Creating television spots with data-driven messages that move your target voter audience, in a multitude of languages
Telling your story in engaging and compelling ways that break through the clutter to grab viewers’ attention and motivate them to take action
Hands-on management of every aspect of television production to maximize impact and efficiency
Putting your message in the right place at the right time through key placements on broadcast, cable and Over-The-Top (OTT) that maximize frequency and reach

Featured Project

Yes on Proposition A

See this in action

Proposition A was a $350 million public health and safety bond that provided much-needed funding to rebuild Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and build an ambulance deployment facility that would ensure San Francisco is prepared in an emergency. BMWL ran an extensive communications campaign that included a large and impactful television buy to propel the measure to an impressive 79% victory.