Firewall with Bradley Tusk The Art of the Sneak Attack
Mar 12, 2026
Chris Coffey, CEO of Tusk Strategies and longtime political strategist, explains clever campaign maneuvers. He recounts how targeted ads on Truth Social and Rumble swung a Texas primary without mentioning climate. They also dig into New York City’s budget crunch, pension and workforce pressures, and the political tradeoffs Mayor Mamdani faces to deliver visible results.
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Climate Donors Used MAGA Messaging To Hurt Chip Roy
- Tusk Strategies helped a climate donor group flip a Texas Republican primary by attacking Chip Roy as not MAGA enough instead of on climate policy.
- They spent about $800,000 in the last three weeks using Truth Social and Rumble and produced roughly a 20–22 point swing forcing a runoff.
Attack Where Voters Actually Care
- Attacking an opponent on the issues they care least about can be the most effective; target what will move the voters deciding the primary.
- In Texas the climate group deliberately framed Roy as insufficiently pro-Trump and used right-leaning platforms to reach Republican primary voters.
Spend Narrowly In The Right Geographies
- Use targeted geography and messaging to maximize impact when budget is limited; avoid wasting resources on too-expensive media markets.
- Tusk skipped Dallas-Fort Worth and focused on three regions where Roy's numbers dropped most, amplifying effects with a late Epstein-themed ad.