In 2007, 2009 and 2011, Nesbitt Research provided more than 60 research reports and memos for the Virginia Democratic Party. We conducted on the ground research from Virginia Beach in the east to southwest Virginia to the urban counties of northern districts. Using legal research databases and in-person investigations, we visited jurisdictions likely to produce the greatest vulnerabilities on candidates who were practicing attorneys, while cutting time and cost for the Caucus without sacrificing quality.
We uncovered child support deadbeats, domestic violence, drug dealers, as well as corporate clients who employed questionable tactics to accomplish their objectives. Our research of a four-term incumbent Delegate untangled an eight-year-old controversy involving a no-bid contract, his campaign finances, his consulting job and a misuse of public resources to promote cronyism. In 2007, Nesbitt Research helped Senate Democrats take back the chamber for the first time in a decade and pick up four seats in the House, the largest gain in that chamber since the Watergate scandal.
