Case Study

Senate Race – Oregon (2008)

In 2008, Nesbitt Research worked for America’s largest labor union to help unseat two-term incumbent Republican Sen. Gordon Smith in one of that year’s most closely watched elections.  Our comprehensive in-person search took us to the offices of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, where we uncovered evidence of Smith’s long record of environmental problems.  We found that his company had repeated environmental sanctions and fines, one for $70,000.

We also scrutinized Smith’s voting record.  In doing so, we exposed the former senator’s habit of flip-flopping on key issues and his overwhelming tendency to side with former President George W. Bush.  Finally, we obtained documentation regarding Smith’s pay and perks, travel expenses and personal and campaign finances, which revealed a long history of earmarks, no bid contracts and questionable pay-to-play relationships.  Armed with our exhaustive research, the labor union conducted a poll and a multi-million dollar ad campaign.  Jeff Merkley won the hard-fought election with 49 percent of the vote. Smith received 46 percent.

Attorney General’s Race – Missouri (2008)

In 2008, Nesbitt Research helped Chris Koster’s team win both a heated three-way Democratic primary and a tight general election for Missouri Attorney General. Koster was a sitting state Senator at the time, and we detailed his legislative record and analyzed his personal financial records, travel records and pay and perks. We examined Koster’s record as a county prosecutor, examining court records and local news sources to paint a full picture of his
successes and failures.

Koster’s team relied heavily on Nesbitt Research for rapid response and earned media, using our analysis of campaign finance records to counter opponents who attacked Koster on the issue. Koster’s team also tapped Nesbitt Research to detail the records of his two primary opponents, one of whom, our research revealed, had taken money from a tobacco store with a history of selling to kids, while voting against anti-smoking measures. This information, combined with Koster’s strong record on crime, gave his team the information it needed to win.

A Senior Executive

In 2006, Nesbitt Research helped Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson’s campaign explore the complex business dealings of Ameritrade’s (now TD Ameritrade) founding family.  We compiled SEC filings, news stories, articles from Lexis-Nexis news databases, civil legal issues from the Cayman Islands to Nebraska, Hoover’s Business records and Dun & Bradstreet records into a comprehensive report on [...]

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Tennessee Senate Caucus (2007)

In 2007, the Tennessee Senate Democratic Caucus engaged Nesbitt Research to compile a full vulnerability analysis of the candidates running in a Tennessee State Senate special election.  Our investigation of the GOP candidate revealed that he lacked substantial involvement with any of the dozen businesses to which he lent his name, except for a failed [...]

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Minnesota Senate Caucus (2006)

In 2006, Nesbitt Research provided 14 research reports on state Senate candidates for the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party.  We conducted on the ground research in 10 counties across the state, from the Twin Cities to Brainerd and St. Cloud.  We reviewed attorneys’ case records, highlighting questionable cases and clients, which proved to be a powerful messages late [...]

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Indiana House Caucus (2006)

In 2006, Nesbitt Research conducted extensive due diligence investigations for the Indiana Democratic House Caucus.   We conducted on the ground research in six counties across the state including Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph.  We reviewed public records detailing tax delinquencies, circuit and district court records, bankruptcy court records and traffic violations.  Our investigators reviewed state records [...]

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Virginia State Caucus (2007 & 2009)

In 2007 and 2009, 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 [...]

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House Race – Michigan (2008)

In 2008, Nesbitt Research worked for Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in his successful bid to unseat three-term incumbent Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg.  We analyzed Peters’ 16-year history as an elected official, and our in-person review of Rochester Hills City Council documents showed that Peters voted to reduce spending by 4.51 percent and to keep the [...]

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