The Challenge

Elevate Strategies is a general consulting firm that helps Democratic and progressive candidates run competitive campaigns across Utah, one of the toughest political environments in the country for their side. Two races show what that looks like in practice.

Dr. Rosemary Lesser, a retired Air Force veteran and OB/GYN who has delivered over 6,000 babies, had been appointed to her Utah House District 10 seat rather than elected to it. After redistricting, the seat became an R+12 district. "Everyone told her she wouldn't win," said Jackie Morgan, co-founder of Elevate Strategies.

The Ogden, Utah mayoral race presented a different kind of uphill climb. It was a 2023 municipal election, a cycle that typically sees low turnout, and Elevate's candidate, Taylor Knuth, was a 30-year-old gay man of color from a working-class family running against a well-known city councilman.

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The Solution

For Dr. Lesser's race, Elevate built a full campaign plan around door-knocking, mail, digital ads, text messages, and an op-ed strategy in the local newspaper. Lesser herself knocked almost 10,000 doors.

The team layered in advanced targeting given the district's Air Force base, building a unique universe of voters using a likely-veteran model score, a Trump defector score, and a January 6th model score. Mailers about service were paired with texts and digital ads reinforcing the same message about Lesser's military and medical background.

For Ogden, the team leaned into Taylor Knuth's authenticity, combining a strong social media presence with direct community engagement to reach voters who don't typically turn out in municipal elections.

Across both races and beyond, Elevate treats texting as one layer in a coordinated mix rather than a standalone tactic. When budgets are tight, the firm prioritizes high-impact, low-cost tools first.

"High-impact, low-cost tactics like canvassing, phone banking, and relational organizing are our top priorities. We also use smaller mail programs layered with texting and digital ads. Messaging discipline is crucial, ensuring our messages are consistent across all platforms."— Gabi Finlayson, Co-Founder, Elevate Strategies

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The Results

• Dr. Rosemary Lesser won re-election in her redistricted, R+12 Utah House District 10 seat, a race nearly everyone expected her to lose.
• Historic voter turnout in Ogden: Taylor Knuth's mayoral campaign did not win, but it drove historic turnout for a low-turnout municipal race and demonstrated the real-world impact of Elevate's tactics.
• A repeatable playbook: layering texting with mail, digital ads, canvassing, and phone banking to reinforce a consistent message across every channel a voter touches.

"Collaboration is key. We have a lot of brainstorms and involve our young, creative staff. We also ensure we stay connected with real people, not just those in the political bubble."— Jackie Morgan, Co-Founder, Elevate Strategies

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Check out the full conversation and real election cases studies in the C&E webinar: