Opposition Research Highlights Congressional Candidate’s Controversial Handling of Housing Crisis

Background

Forward Risk was engaged by a congressional campaign in Georgia to conduct opposition research on a primary opponent.

Our Work

Our team leveraged the collective expertise of investigators who have previously worked on political campaigns to ensure both depth and breadth in our research. Our investigation encompassed a comprehensive review of public records, including litigation records, news reports, and social media.

We focused particularly on issues that would be salient to a primary campaign, such as voting and policy records and political connections inside and outside of the party.

Results

Our research found that the candidate was widely considered to be a party “insider,” even by her own admission, and she had previously faced criticism for allegedly unfairly leveraging these connections to get elected in a nonpartisan race.

In addition, we uncovered a controversial history regarding the housing crisis; specifically, the candidate was discovered to have profited off of foreclosed homes during the peak of the crisis, in an area of the country that was hit especially hard by the foreclosure epidemic.

Moreover, the candidate, while chairing a redevelopment committee specifically charged with finding solutions to an affordable housing shortfall, had cast a decisive vote blocking the development of an affordable housing complex. This vote drew sharp criticism from other members of the committee, at least two of whom threatened not to return to the committee if she continued to serve as chair.

These findings provided the client with ample context with which to call into question the candidate’s leadership style and her ability to be competitive in a general election.