Case Studies
Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14)
In an historic special election in 2008, 3rd Coast Research assisted the campaign of Rep. Bill Foster. The seat was traditionally Republican and had been previously held by the former Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert. Foster faced self-funding dairy magnate Jim Oberweis. The election was closely contested, and 3rd Coast Research aided Foster to defuse attacks by national Republicans as well as to highlight Oberweis’ own record. Foster's Campaign Manager Tom Bowen said: “There is absolutely no substitute for good research, and 3rd Coast delivered an exceptional product for a competitive price. They not only conducted a thorough examination of the public record, but provided legislative analysis and insight that was crucial to our campaign.”
Alderman Brendan Reilly (Chicago-42)
Will Caskey managed opposition research for challenger Brendan Reilly against incumbent Alderman Burton Natarus in 2007. The research found that the incumbent was involved with a federal corruption investigation in the late 1980s. While the involvement was a matter of public record, it had not been effectively used by previous challengers. The research also noted Natarus’ large contributions from developers, which were controversial with constituents. The attacks were used in television and mail advertisements by Reilly as well as the Service Employees International Union, and Reilly won by almost ten points. The morning after the election, Natarus cited a mail piece with the research as the specific reason for his loss. Video of the attribution is available here.