Jamestown Associates is a political, public affairs and corporate advertising firm active in the United States, specializing in media production, direct mail, press relations and campaign management, for candidates of the Republican Party.
[3] As of the end of the 2010 general election season, Jamestown Associates was the 7th largest grossing Republican consulting firm in the United States.
[11] By Jamestown's count, over the total 2015–16 election cycle and including all clients, the firm produced more than 22 million pieces of mail as well as 398 TV, radio and web advertisements.
In a mild controversy, the firm said in October 2010 that a contractor it hired had used the phrase "hicky blue collar" in describing the actors wanted for a National Republican Senatorial Committee ad to be broadcast in West Virginia.
These included Richard Mourdock, in Indiana (who defeated longtime Sen. Richard Lugar in the 2012 primary, losing to Democrat Joe Donnelly in the fall;[14] Congressman Paul Broun, who lost his nomination bid for Georgia Senator; and radiologist Milton Wolf, who nearly upset Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in the August 2014 primary.
They were retained by the Club for Growth PAC, in its challenge to a GOP incumbent in Mississippi and support for a Tea Party conservative (Ben Sasse) in Nebraska.
Political reporter Stuart Rothenberg noted in February 2014: "New Jersey–based Jamestown [w]as a regional consulting firm that worked mostly with moderate or even liberal Republicans running in the Northeast.
Their 2012 clients included longtime St. Sen. Joe Kyrillos, who lost his bid for U.S. Senate from New Jersey, and in 2013 they produced ads and direct mail for the successful re-election of Gov.
[18][19] in 2013, Jamestown produced ads for Mark Sanford's comeback campaign for the U.S. House, following the former Governor's scandalous affair with an Argentinian journalist and subsequent divorce.
[20] Despite being actively shunned by national party committees and major donors, Sanford won the GOP nomination with 56.5%,[21] and then captured the coastal 1st District seat with 54% in the May special election.
[25] The firm's most notable work in 2018 was on behalf of businessman Mike Braun of Indiana, one of three leading challengers for the GOP nomination to face one-term Democratic incumbent Joe Donnelly, a marquee race in the fight to control the US Senate.
Braun, the underdog against better-known Congressmen Todd Rokita and Luke Messer used a Jamestown ad to highlight his outsider / non-politician status, carrying cardboard cutouts ("The Difference", which may be viewed here).
[30] Jamestown served as the lead media firm in the presidential primaries for the losing campaign of Ted Cruz, placing second to Trump.
[33] Miller served as Senior Communications Advisor (and frequently chief spokesman), and Larry Weitzner was lead ad creator.
Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner and Brad Parscale directed me to produce spots for review without approving scripts—they wanted to see our vision.
Steve Bannon and KellyAnne Conway told me we needed an ad capturing the fact that Mr. Trump started 'a movement, not a campaign.
"The ad isn't issue-oriented, but it captures the feeling everyone on the Trump campaign, everyone at his rallies, and everyone supporting his candidacy saw as great enthusiasm for his movement.
[11] (The ad may be viewed here.Donald J. Trump for President - "Movement") The two-minute summation piece, "Argument for America," had an unusual genesis, Weitzner said.
He was offered, but turned down the job of White House Communications Director, and later took a senior position with Teneo, a corporate advisory and lobbying firm.
[37] Jamestown continued its close association with the Trump operation after 2016, producing ads aired (at great expense) during the 2019 World Series and proximate to the Super Bowl in January and February 2020.
The World Series ad, "No Mr. Nice Guy" (viewable here), touted Trump's achievements while taunting his opposition in Congress: "The Democrats would rather focus on impeachment and phony investigations, ignoring the real issues.
'"[40] The two 30-second Super Bowl ads, costing an estimated $11 million to air,[41] came at a high-water mark for Trump, with the economy still strong and COVID weeks away.
"Break-In," first aired in July 2020 in swing-markets like Orlando, Tampa, and Cincinnati,[42] raised the specter of cuts in police funding (advocated during the BLM protests of May and June), and tying this to Biden, who with his allies hotly disputed this charge.