60%
Overwhelming victory in a deep purple district.
Senator Richard Roth won a tight race in 2012, flipping California’s previously red Senate District 31 into the Democratic column. A retired Air Force General and local business owner, Roth in many ways was the perfect fit for D31. He’d spent his first four years in the Senate working to deliver on a list of concrete promises to the region, including ensuring the opening of a medical school at the University of California, Riverside campus.
The 2016 campaign promised to be less vitriolic, as Roth’s list of legislative accomplishments had allowed him to establish a bipartisan brand and even secure high-profile local validators who had opposed him in his first race. While the 2012 paid campaign featured a mix of bio-focused positives and hard-hitting contrasts, Bearstar pivoted the 2016 campaign toward a laser focus on Roth’s concrete accomplishments on behalf of working families. The spots utilized the Senator’s military background as a vehicle to illustrate his legislative approach.
“Delivered” was the most important spot of the D31 campaign. Shot on location with real local students, workers, and veterans, the spot evoked the working class spirit of California’s 31st District. The spot hits the nonpartisan sweet spot, with a no-nonsense, no-label sensibility and a spirit of hard-edged optimism. Bearstar filmed at an aviation museum, giving him a visual swagger to match his impressive list of legislative achievements.
“Delivered,” along with its companion piece “Right Stuff,” aired on cable from late September through the duration of the race. Despite the district’s evenly divided partisan split, Roth went on to win re-election with 60% of the vote.
