Tom Murry, NC House District 41

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Challenge: In 2010, Tom Murry, a two-term Morrisville Town Councilman, decided to run for North Carolina House District 41 in the North Carolina General Assembly. District 41 is known statewide as the quintessential swing district with historic trends showing tendencies to vote both Republican (2000 and 2004) and Democrat (2006 and 2008). A seat not held by the Republicans since 2006, Murry's primary victory pitted him against incumbent Democrat Representative Chris Heagarty, a long-time player in North Carolina politics, for this important district. The North Carolina GOP needed to gain nine seats in the House and six seats in the Senate to gain the majority. District 41 quickly became a must win seat for both Democrats and Republicans.

Solution: Tom Murry approached Cornerstone Solutions after his primary victory to bring a "modern flare" to his campaign. Cornerstone Solutions, specifically partner Chris Sinclair and director Matt Bales, served as Tom's general consultants and provided a variety services to his campaign. After executing detailed research demographic, historic trends, and market data Cornerstone Solutions provided the campaign with a bifurcated strategy to win both early voting and on Election Day.

Results: With some 8,000 doors knocked on, and over 3,000 personal phone calls to voters, Tom Murry easily won this seat by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent. Murry dominated in absentee votes, early voting, and on Election Day---a sweeping accomplishment never achieved by a Republican running in NC House District 41.