THE REPUTATION RESET.
How do you run a candidate who has "nothing to hide"?
You turn the past into a platform.
THE UNTOUCHABLE MANDATE.
In political strategy, "baggage" is usually a death sentence. When former MP Rahim Jaffer entered the 2025 Mayoral Race, the media narrative was pre-written: focused on 15-year-old controversies rather than future policy.
Churchill Strategy was retained to execute a Narrative Interception. The goal was not just to run, but to force a "Hard Reset" on the municipal conversation regarding public safety and fiscal accountability.
Client: JAFFER FOR MAYOR
Mandate: Campaign Strategy & Crisis Communications
THE METRIC:
QUALIFIED FOR THE CHAMBER OF EDMONTON’S LIVE-TELEVISED MAYORAL CANDIDATE DEBATE
The Challenge: The candidate faced high name recognition but mixed sentiment. The "Establishment" candidates (Knack, Cartmell) dominated the center lane. We needed to disrupt the "status quo" narrative without alienating the business community.
The Strategy: "Total Transparency." We advised the candidate to lean into the past controversies immediately ("I have no skeletons in my closet"), neutralizing the media's attack lines on Day 1.
We pivoted the campaign to a single, aggressive message: "A Hard Reset." By focusing heavily on "Back to Basics" (Safety & Core Services), we forced the front-runners to respond to our policy pillars, effectively shifting the debate's window.
The Outcome: Despite a crowded field of 13 candidates, the campaign secured a spot in the invite-only Chamber of Commerce Debate, outperformed eight other contenders, and successfully injected "Bail Reform" and "Fiscal Audits" into the central election discourse.
