News

The facility will provide an option - other than jail - for people in our community experiencing mental health problems which led them to encounters with law enforcement. The proposition won with 68% of the vote. As a result, The Bridge Center opened in December of 2020.

From theadvocate.com: Sharon Weston Broome won another four years as East Baton Rouge Parish's mayor-president Saturday, defeating former State Rep. Steve Carter in a runoff election. Broome had 57% of the vote in complete but unofficial returns, after finishing with 48% of the vote Nov. 3. Carter grew his percentage of the vote from 20% to 43% Saturday. Continue reading at theadvocate.com Congratulations to our client and friend, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome!

From NJ.com: Educator Amy Kennedy, a member of the famous Democratic political family, on Tuesday won the hard-fought Democratic primary to take on party-switching Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew this fall in South Jersey’s 2nd District. The Associated Press called the race at about 9:15 p.m., and Montclair State University political science professor Brigid Callahan Harrison conceded earlier in a YouTube video. Gov. Phil Murphy, who endorsed Kennedy toward the end of her campaign, joined her at her victory rally. “I can’t believe we won the lottery here in South Jersey,” he said. Kennedy used her victory speech to call for better-paying jobs and affordable health care. She bemoaned the twin crises of the coronavirus and the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. “We’re ready for leaders with compassion, integrity and the ability to make real change happen,” she said. “We need leaders who will heel when we hurt, listen when we speak, provide direction when we need guidance, and show up when it matters.” In her concession speech, Callahan Harrison spoke of getting behind Kennedy to defeat Van Drew. “After a primary that has been tough for all of us, we stand together,” she said. “As we all know, this was a tough, hard-fought race and this is now behind us. Each of us have a responsibility now to get involved to get involved and help her in any way we can.” South Jersey political powerbroker George Norcross, who had backed Callahan Harrison, congratulated Kennedy. “Congratulations to Amy Kennedy, who has won a strong victory,” Norcross said. “As I said months ago, I look forward to supporting the Democratic nominee in the general election. It is important that we retake the second congressional seat and continue to advance a pro-worker, pro-reform, and pro-civil justice agenda in Washington.” Callahan Harrison had the endorsements of most of the Democratic county chairs in the district, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez and Cory Booker. But Murphy, who has feuded with both Sweeney and Norcross, backed Kennedy at the end. Kennedy’s decisive victory gave Murphy a win over his Democratic rivals on their South Jersey turf. While both Kennedy and Callahan Harrison saw eye-to-eye on most issues, they attacked each other during the campaign. Kennedy highlighted Callahan Harrison’s links to Norcross. Callahan Harrison questioned the decision of former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., to fund a super political action committee supporting his wife. Progressives rejoiced at the loss of Norcross’ chosen candidate. “This is a stunning victory for progressives in New Jersey and a massive defeat for a conservative political machine which has for too long thwarted progressive change in the state,” said Sue Altman, state director of New Jersey Working Families. Van Drew had won the seat as a Democrat two years ago but switched parties after voting against impeaching President Donald Trump. The AP declared Van Drew the winner in the Republican primary over Bob Patterson, former acting associate commissioner of the Social Security Administration. “I would like to thank President Trump for his unwavering support and Republicans throughout South Jersey for the confidence they have placed in me to be their nominee,” Van Drew said. The importance of the race to both parties was highlighted by the national parties Tuesday night. “Amy Kennedy has demonstrated throughout her campaign that the only thing she is running on is her last name and that’s just not going to fly with voters,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “I look forward to helping Jeff win reelection and continuing our work together in Congress.” Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, countered: “Jeff Van Drew betrayed South Jersey voters in a flailing attempt to advance his own political career and hurt the community that trusted him in the process. The people of South Jersey deserve better from their Representative and will send Van Drew packing come November.” The coronavirus pandemic led New Jersey to conduct the primary largely by mail. NJ Advance Media staff writer Chris Franklin contributed to this report.

Baton Rouge based Democratic direct mail and political consulting firm, Ourso Beychok, Inc., took home three awards at the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) Pollie Awards Ceremony recently held in Nashville. Ourso Beychok took home a Gold Pollie Award for “Hush Puppies” and a Bronze Pollie for “Numbers” in the Direct Mail for Independent Expenditure Campaign category. Both mailers were produced for Highway 31 PAC working in conjunction with Senate Majority PAC in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama where Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore. “We were very proud of the mail we produced in the Alabama race and especially pleased with the outcome of the election,” said Michael Beychok. “And it’s always an honor to be recognized by our peers for the quality of the work that we produce.” Ourso Beychok was tasked with producing several flights of persuasive mail in the Alabama senate race that were targeted at independent and Republican leaning women voters. The mail highlighted many of the excruciatingly intricate details of the encounters that Moore’s accusers remembered decades after their harrowing experiences. “He wore brown hush puppies on his feet” was the simple typeset across the cover of the mailer that won the Gold Pollie. Ourso Beychok also received a Bronze Pollie for “Tiffany” in the Direct Mail for Local/Municipal/Regional category, produced for the Tiffany Chase campaign for Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in New Orleans. Earlier in the year, the Hush Puppies mailer won Gold First Place Reed Awards for “Best Villain” and “Best Mail Piece for an Independent Expenditure Campaign”. The Reed Awards are presented by Campaigns & Elections Magazine and named after founder Stanley Foster Reed.

It wasn’t embroilment in an old prostitution scandal that derailed David Vitter’s campaign for the Louisiana governor’s mansion. It was a different legal issue. Click for full story.

This year, Baton Rouge based democratic direct mail and consulting firm Ourso Beychok took home two prestigious Reed Awards at the 2016 Campaigns & Elections Magazine ceremony in Charleston, SC. The Reed Awards, named after Campaigns & Elections’ founder Stanley Foster Reed, recognize excellence in campaign management, political consulting and political design. The “Stench Talking Mailer,” produced on behalf of the anti-David Vitter Gumbo PAC during the 2015 Louisiana governor’s race, won Best Mail Piece for Independent Expenditure Campaign – Statewide. In addition, the unique twelve-page mailer “Martin O’Malley’s 15 Goals to Rebuild The American Dream” won Ourso Beychok the award for Best Mail Piece for Presidential Primary. “The Reed award is a longstanding standard of the best in our industry and we are proud to be recognized by our peers,“ said company president Trey Ourso. “We strive to make innovative direct mail pieces that can captivate the voting public in this technology driven age,” added creative director and partner Michael Beychok. “These awards are proof that direct mail is still a wide-reaching and extremely effective marketing tool.” See the formal Campaign and Elections announcement here.

In 2015, Baton Rouge based Democratic direct mail and political consulting firm, Ourso Beychok, Inc., took home four awards at the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) Pollie Awards Ceremony held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The AAPC Pollie Awards are an annual gathering of political professionals to recognize the best of the best in the political consulting industry. Trey Ourso was recognized with the Excellence Award as the 2015 Campaign Strategist of the Year for his work with Gumbo PAC during the Louisiana governor’s race, after which Governor John Bel Edwards was elected. Ourso founded Gumbo PAC and served as the PAC’s chief strategist. Gumbo PAC’s mission was to oppose the election of US Senator David Vitter as Governor of Louisiana. The PAC employed a clever mix of traditional media (television, direct mail & billboards) with cutting edge digital targeting and advertising. Ourso Beychok also took home a Gold Pollie Award for the “Stench” talking mailer they produced for Gumbo PAC, a Silver Pollie in the Logo category for the Anybody But Vitter (ABV) Sticker and Gumbo PAC was awarded a Silver Pollie in the Best Use of Humor category for the “Getting” television commercial which employed a crying baby and declared that “electing David Vitter would be a crying shame for Louisiana.” “I am honored to be recognized by my peers for Gumbo PAC’s success. We assembled a great team of professionals and operated a modern campaign that stayed on message, never wavering from our mission.” - Trey Ourso “We strive to make innovative direct mail pieces that can captivate the voting public in this technology driven age. These awards are proof that direct mail is still a wide-reaching and extremely effective marketing tool.” - Michael Beychok

When all the dollars are counted, it's likely that more money flowed through Gumbo PAC, the super PAC set up for the sole purpose of defeating U.S. Sen. David Vitter, than any other PAC or campaign this election season. Read the full story at NOLA.com

Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ) needed to motivate Alexandria residents to approve a continuous funding source for the Alexandria Zoo and Alexandria recreation facilities while reminding the voters of the investment already made in the award-winning facilities. The Ourso Beychok team targeted likely voters with an informational piece that assisted FOTAZ in getting out the vote needed for a win.