Opposition Research

Opposition research is one of the foundations of a successfully messaged campaign. An opposition, or self, research book will delve into all aspects of a candidate or other target’s political, professional, and personal life to provide a series of messages to help understand key vulnerabilities and strengths. In this workshop, we will provide a detailed overview of an industry-standard opposition research methodology, exploring a variety of public record databases, and explaining how that raw data can be most effectively synthesized into narratives deployed for polling, ads, and other campaign needs.

We will explore basic due diligence, legal research, news and other media analysis, legislative records, campaign contributions, business and organizational records, various online presences, and requesting records that are not immediately available. Many of these research methods can also be used for non- or quasi-political purposes, including for labor organizing efforts seeking to determine adversaries’ vulnerabilities, identify or vet potential allies, and understand employers’ financial practices.

Eric Smith is the Vice President of Blue Compass Strategies. Before joining the opposition research and political analysis firm in 2015, he gained experience in opposition research, self-research, and campaign consulting at IMS Inc. and EMILY’s List. He has served numerous progressive organizations, campaigns, caucuses, labor unions, and political action committees, providing research for all sizes of campaigns from the federal to municipal level. Before entering the world of political consulting in 2010, Eric began his career honing the research and writing skills he uses today as a newspaper reporter.

Conner Klotz is the Research Director of Blue Compass Strategies. Before joining the firm in 2022,  he began his research career with Sourced Strategies, an opposition research firm based in Indianapolis. He has led research projects for a wide range of progressive groups and campaigns. Conner’s political career started as a press assistant on Senator Joe Donnelly’s 2018 re-election campaign in Indiana.