Duncan Campaign Gets Creative in Trying to Reach Voters

By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan is searching for inexpensive and creative ways to appeal to voters and generate media attention for his self-described underdog bid to win the Democratic nomination for governor.

For a moment last week, it looked as if his campaign, which has not aired television ads, had entered its next phase when it sent an e-mail to reporters with the header: "NEWS: Watch Duncan's New Ad."

But the ad was playing only on Duncan's Web site. And the next day, the campaign was forced to admit it wasn't new, having appeared on the Web site last fall.

Duncan, behind in the polls and still unknown in large portions of the state, has been trying for months to increase his visibility in his primary campaign against Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley.

With money tight, Duncan has been forced to rely heavily on generating media coverage, sending his image-makers and press secretaries into overdrive.

"We have found what we think are really great opportunities to go out and get earned media," said Scott Arceneaux, Duncan's campaign manager. "It's not a phase. It's a strategy to introduce Doug until the paid media gets going."

For instance, in the days leading up to the public release of his proposed 2007 operating budget last month, Duncan's media operation scheduled a series of highly choreographed events to highlight proposed new spending on public safety, education and transportation -- a public relations effort to stretch what normally would be a one-day story over an entire week.

Also, in the past three months, Duncan has made 25 appearances on Baltimore radio talk shows. Many of the programs have conservative-leaning hosts who give Duncan a friendly platform to criticize O'Malley.

Duncan's campaign and county staffs have been sending out a steady stream of press statements, and the county executive has been a constant presence in Annapolis, where political reporters congregate during the legislative session.

Duncan spoke March 27 at a rally in Annapolis to support legislation allowing certain pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception. The next day, he testified in support of legislation to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

At times, Duncan has tried to stay a step ahead of other politicians. He issued a statement March 25 calling on Comcast Corp. to air more Washington Nationals games -- knowing that 24 hours later, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) and other area lawmakers were planning to make the same demand at a news conference at RFK Stadium.

O'Malley, like all politicians, also seeks news coverage. But campaign strategists say Duncan appears particularly reliant on so-called earned media because he lags behind O'Malley in fundraising, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

As of January, O'Malley's campaign had $4.2 million in the bank, compared with Duncan's $1.4 million.

Michael Morrill, a longtime Maryland Democratic strategist who is neutral in the race, said Duncan is "in the most difficult place to be in a campaign."

"He is trying to create a wave he can ride, and the best campaigns ride the waves that are already out there," Morrill said. "He does not have the money nor the press platform to make that wave on his own and right now."

O'Malley raised three times as much money as Duncan did last year, but Duncan spent more, largely on a bigger and better-paid staff.

Arceneaux summed up Duncan's dilemma this week in an appeal for $25,000 in online donations over the next month.

"I know $25,000 is a high goal, but to win we need the resources to advertise on Baltimore and Salisbury T.V. and radio, which covers close to 60 percent of the state's media, and where Doug is not well known," Arceneaux wrote to Duncan supporters.

Arceneaux said in an interview that Duncan would be well-positioned to start airing commercials by late summer, when he says most voters will begin focusing on the primary.

Others suggested Duncan should consider spending what money he has soon, before the airwaves are crowded with campaign ads from O'Malley and candidates running for other offices.

"If the stage is empty and you don't have much money, why don't you go on stage?" asked Bill Hillsman, a Minnesota-based political strategist who has made a career of advising underdog or nontraditional campaigns for such politicians as former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura, the late Minnesota Democratic senator Paul D. Wellstone and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

For now, Duncan remains committed to getting as much free media as he can.

When he goes to Salisbury, he often is followed by reporters from all of the area's television stations. And by teaming with O'Malley's critics in Baltimore, Duncan has been fairly visible on that city's television news.

He also appeared March 28 on a Maryland Public Television call-in show. Before the show, Jody Couser, a Duncan campaign spokeswoman, e-mailed supporters to make sure they knew how to call in or submit questions for Duncan.

Duncan had an op-ed article in The Washington Post two weeks ago that questioned whether Baltimore's crime statistics were accurate. His campaign distributed hundreds of copies to voters. And on Friday, an op-ed article under his byline appeared in the Cumberland, Md., Times-News about correctional officer safety.

"Sometimes you got to take a lot of swings before you get some base hits, and we have been getting some base hits the last few months," Arceneaux said.