WE TELL SUCCESSFUL STORIES
FOR CAMPAIGNS, CAUSES AND LABOR
WE ARE
PROUDLY PROGRESSIVE
WE WILL NEVER WORK ON A
CORPORATE ASTROTURF CAMPAIGN

What We Do

our products & services

6 Consultancy.

As general strategic and political consultants, we design a comprehensive and integrated campaign plan and strategy, including timelines, create (and continually revise) your messages to voters and other interested parties, including writing speeches and corollary materials, and provide high-level contact and guidance.

l Online.

We develop and execute integrated online strategies; we build websites, develop mobile apps, manage social media, run email campaigns and optimize online fundraising.

` Media.

We produce and execute radio, television and digital advertising, and design comprehensive buying strategies taking advantage of microtargeting and cable targeting.

# Finance.

We design a finance plan with multiple, flexible, detailed raise and spend budgets, provide lists, materials and training for candidate call time, write and execute fundraising direct mail, provide access and training for fundraising database, provide high-level contact and guidance (including questionnaire responses) for labor and affinity PACs, conduct finance research, and provide compliance advice and assistance.

Whether your goal is elected office, winning hearts and minds or pushing back against bad policy, we can help you not only figure it out, but make it happen.
We know campaigns aren’t compartmentalized, and that different skills are important at different stages. That’s why we decided from the beginning to do a lot of things well.
Indigo is a group of professionals with talent in every discipline in communications, advocacy and electoral campaigns: strategy, old media, new media, social media, digital, finance, research, mail, field, press, and event management. We also staff campaigns in many instances.
On the campaign side, we do a lot of challenge races in difficult places, and collectively have been involved in over 100 campaigns, ranging from Presidentials to county races.

s Political Research.

We provide issue and opposition research (“votes and quotes”), appearance and debate prep. This research will, of course, also be available for multiple purposing. We coordinate and work closely with polling firms.

, Field.

We develop a comprehensive field plan as part of the campaign plan that includes household-level targeting, candidate and volunteer touch and walk plans, phone plans (paid and volunteer) and GOTV and early-voting strategy, where applicable.

a Press.

We develop a message calendar as part of the campaign plan, and write press releases and op-ed pieces, and manage your relationships with the media.

m Mail.

We write, design and execute persuasion direct-mail campaigns, including managing printers, mail houses, list management and targeting.

g Staffing.

We can recruit and provide appropriate campaign staff from top management to finance to field, and provide HR administration for them, including payroll, benefits, unemployment and workers’ comp.

3 Event management.

We plan and manage both fundraising and larger-scale public events, including site advance, press and public management and vendors.

 


Who We Are

Our Values and Team

Trust in your calling, make sure your calling’s true
Think of others, the others think of you

Silly rule golden words make, practice, practice makes perfect
I Believe (Berry Buck Mills Stipe)


Mission Statement

Indigo is the darkest shade of blue. We chose it on purpose, not as cool branding, but to signify our mission.
Indigo is a full-service consulting firm that exists to help progressive candidates, causes and labor organizations achieve measurable success. We do that by providing both actionable strategic advice and a broad spectrum of practical, tactical support.
We’re not interested in being famous.
We’re not interested in winning awards voted on by other consultants. What we do should only serve the clients’ interests.
We don’t do this to make mountains of money. We make a living, but we will never work on corporate “astroturf” campaigns for the dough.
We trust in our calling.

 


Think we might be a good fit?

contact us

Want to know more about what we do?

what we do

Who are our principals?

meet the partners

 


Meet The Partners

Walter Ludwig

Walter Ludwig

Managing Partner

Walter Ludwig began his political career as a staff volunteer on the McGovern campaign. He left politics in 1988 and founded several successful media and software companies, returning in 2003 as a state director for Dean for America. As principal of TeamBlue Politics, he has been general consultant and/or campaign manager on over two dozen Senate, Congressional, mayoral, city council, judicial and state legislative races. In 2011, he managed the campaign of the first Democratic mayor of Knoxville in three decades. He has also consulted for multiple labor unions.

Beth Becker

Beth Becker

Partner

Beth Becker has brought 20+ years of communication and marketing background to politics where she has consulted for numerous House campaigns, non profits and unions. Beth often can be found conducting trainings about digital strategy for the New Organizing Institute, clients and conferences like PA Progressive Summit and Netroots Nation. As a contributing blogger at epolitics.com and avid activist, Beth shares her knowledge to help the progressive movement use digital with offline to win. She is also on staff at Progressive Congress where she works with Progressive Caucus staffers on digital strategy and manages Progressive Congress News.

Harlan Hill

Harlan Hill

Partner

Harlan Hill is founder of Code & Politics, a Washington digital politics firm. He got his first taste of politics working in the UK Parliament at age 15. He worked his first campaigns the following year, in Liverpool on the data and field operation of the Liberal Democrat party and back home in South Carolina on a county council race. He went on to start a digital agency working with several dozen clients between Senate, Congressional, mayoral and state legislature races and half a dozen issue campaigns for labor unions and non-profits.

Jay Parmley

Jay Parmley

Partner

Jay Parmley has served as executive director of more state Democratic parties than anyone in party history. He has been chair and executive director of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, and Executive Director of both the South Carolina and North Carolina parties. He is a former at-large member of the Democratic National Committee and served on its budget and finance committee, and worked at the DNC under Gov. Howard Dean. Parmley is a former president of the Young Democrats of America.


Candidates

Dean for America
Ford Bell for US Senate, MN
Vic Rawl for US Senate, SC
Kweisi Mfume for US Senate, MD
Rep. Matt Cartwright for Congress(PA-17)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ-03)
Pat Kreitlow for Congress (WI-7)
José Hernández for Congress (CA-10)
John Olson for Oklahoma (OK-01)
Milad Pooran for Congress (MD-06)
Phil Scollo for U.S. Congress (PA-10)
Gloria Tinubu for U.S. Congress (SC-7)
Tiffany Renée for U.S. Congress (CA-2)
Lois Herr for Congress (PA-16) 2X
Kyle Foust for Congress (PA-03)
Julie Bornstein for Congress (CA-45)
Sam Bennett for Congress (PA-15)
Gail Conner for Congess (PA-07)
Doug Dodd for Congress (OK-01)
Stan Matsunaka for Congress (CO-4)
Andrew Duck for Congress (MD-6)
Brian Kennedy for Congress (WI-5)
Judge Jimmy Lynn for Commonwealth Court, PA
Ginny McMichael for Commissioner, Chester Co, PA
Madeline Rogero for Mayor (Knoxville, TN)
Warren Gooch for County Mayor (TN)
AJ Wagner for Mayor (Dayton, OH)
Shapiro 2012 (DC Council At-Large)
Elizabeth Smith for City Council (Baltimore City Council)
Erik Gaull for City Council (DC Council)
Colin Eldridge for UK Parliament

Labor

United Auto Workers
Florida Education Association
Pennsylvania AFT
Pennsylvania State Education Association
State Employees Association of North Carolina
No on 8 (FL ballot)

Progressive and Party Organizations

Democratic National Committee
North Carolina Democratic Party
Oklahoma Democratic Party
South Carolina Democratic Party
Howard Dean for DNC Chair
Democracy for America
Campaign for Community Change (Change Nation)
New York Communities for Change
RH Reality Check
Climate Resolve
America Shining PAC
Indiana Senate Democratic Committee
Young Democrats of America
Terry Lierman for MD State Chair