Frequently Asked Questions about Trevor Southerland
Who is Trevor Southerland?
Trevor Southerland is a Democratic political strategist and campaign operative with more than 20 years of experience in state legislative campaigns, caucus operations, fundraising, field, communications, targeting, and paid media. He is best known for helping Democrats win historic legislative majorities in Virginia and Pennsylvania.
What campaigns has Trevor Southerland worked on?
Trevor has worked on Democratic campaigns and political programs in several states, including Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. His most notable caucus-level work includes the Virginia House Democratic Caucus during the 2015, 2017 and 2019 cycles and the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee in 2022.
How did Trevor Southerland help Democrats win the Virginia House majority?
Trevor joined the Virginia House Democratic Caucus in 2014 as Finance Director, when Democrats held only 32 of 100 seats. He later served as Acting Executive Director, Deputy Executive Director, and Executive Director. During that period, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in 2015, flipped 15 seats in 2017, and gained six more seats in 2019 to win their first House majority in 20 years.
What role did Trevor Southerland play in Pennsylvania Democratic campaigns?
In 2022, Trevor served as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee. Democrats entered the cycle in a 90–113 minority after losing three seats, including their leader. In 2022, against the odds, Democrats flipped a net of 12 seats and won their first Pennsylvania House majority in more than a decade.
What campaign innovations did Trevor Southerland use in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania program included an off-year legislative deep canvassing program, expanded off-year staffing, an improved polling program, multiple data sets, ad testing at the legislative level, and a 203-district strategy focused on local messaging.
What is Trifecta Campaigns?
Trifecta Campaigns LLC is Trevor Southerland’s political consulting firm. It provides campaign strategy, fundraising support, field and voter contact planning, communications guidance, direct mail and digital strategy, and broader consulting services for Democratic candidates, caucuses, and progressive organizations.
What does Trevor Southerland do at Mosaic Communications?
Trevor has served as a Strategic Advisor and Director of Legislative Campaigns with Mosaic Communications. In that role, his work focuses on Democratic legislative campaigns, caucus-level strategy, integrated paid media, and helping campaigns communicate with low-information and ticket-splitting voters in competitive down-ballot races.
What kind of consulting does Trevor Southerland provide?
Trevor provides support in campaign strategy, management, fundraising, field, voter contact, direct mail, digital advertising, message development, polling and research strategy, coalition coordination, and caucus-level planning. His work is especially focused on competitive Democratic state legislative campaigns.
What is Trevor Southerland’s campaign philosophy?
Trevor believes legislative campaigns should be built district by district, voter by voter, and backward from Election Day. His approach emphasizes local messaging, disciplined targeting, early investment, message testing, integrated field and paid communications, and a willingness to challenge assumptions instead of relying on cookie-cutter campaign plans.
Why does Trevor Southerland focus on state legislative campaigns?
State legislative campaigns often determine who controls policy on issues like voting rights, education, labor, reproductive freedom, housing, healthcare, and economic security. These races are frequently under-covered and underfunded, but they can determine the direction of a state for years.