Ed Flynn spends $10G for marketing firm, is latest to use D.C. expertise
District 2 City Council hopeful Ed Flynn is spending $10,000 on a direct marketing firm that touts Bernie Sanders as a major client, making him the latest Hub candidate to tap into Washington, D.C., expertise as Election Day nears.
And hiring Beltway talent, campaign watchers say, is a great way to make a mark in the run-up to the Sept. 26 preliminary.
“People are still thinking about what happened to the summer and getting kids back to school. Most people aren’t thinking about the election, so it’s up to the candidate to remind them,” said former City Councilor Michael McCormack. “A district-focused mailing to voters is the way to jumpstart it and get it going.”
Flynn, a former Department of Labor manager and the son of former Mayor Raymond L. Flynn, is widely seen as a frontrunner for the District 2 seat, with former Thomas M. Menino aide Michael Kelley as the other major contender. Each has raised well over $100,000 in a race for the seat being vacated by incumbent Bill Linehan, which includes Bay Village, Chinatown, part of the South End and South Boston.
Flynn hired the D.C.based Mammen Group last month, according to campaign finance reports. The firm’s website touts its experience in state and Congressional races, as well as running direct mail campaigns for Sanders in Massachusetts and other states last year.
“We are focused on traditional campaign techniques like door knocking and phone calls while utilizing innovative grass-roots techniques used in the most recent national election to connect directly with voters across District 2,” Flynn campaign manager Steve Moore said in a statement.
Mayoral candidates have also reached out to Washington during their campaigns. Mayor Martin J. Walsh has paid D.C. firm Precision Strategies, which includes former Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter, $86,000 so far this year, and challenger Tito Jackson traveled to Washington this summer for a fundraiser held at the house of an aide to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.