Selected Results
Fifteen years of underdog wins.
A representative sample of Cato engagements across the statewide, federal, judicial, municipal, and ballot-initiative levels. The full record is available on request.
Case Study · Ballot Initiative · 2025
319
A $450 million school bond, defeated by 319 votes — outspent 7 to 1.
When USD-259 placed a $450M bond initiative on the Wichita ballot, the opposition coalition included the school district, the chamber, and most of the city's establishment. Cato founded Wichita United for Better Education PAC, raised $120,000 against an opposition that ultimately spent over seven times that figure, and built a disciplined mail and ballot-chase program targeting the voters most likely to break against an unfunded tax increase.
The Program
- PAC formation and FEC / Kansas state compliance, 90-day stand-up
- Modeled-universe build: low-propensity, fiscal-conservative voters
- Multi-wave mail program with pre-filled SoS-prescribed advance ballot applications
- Ballot-chase across mail, SMS, and volunteer phones
- Earned media strategy that re-framed the bond around accountability rather than rejection of education
Result
The bond failed by 319 votes — a margin of less than 0.5 percent on the largest ballot question in Wichita that cycle.
Case Study · Statewide · 2010
The youngest campaign manager in Kansas history to win a statewide race.
At 25, Cato founder Ben Davis ran Kris Kobach's 2010 Secretary of State campaign — winning the contested Republican primary and the general election while outspent 3 to 1. The campaign combined a disciplined ground game, message discipline on election integrity (a defining issue before it became a national conversation), and the kind of underdog tactical creativity that has anchored the Cato approach ever since.
Key Facts
- Outspent 3:1 across primary and general
- Won contested GOP primary against established field
- Statewide general election win in cycle when Kansas Republicans were not assumed
- Set a record as youngest manager to win a Kansas statewide race
Case Study · Federal / Super PAC · 2024
650,000 voters turned out for President Trump in Georgia.
As Georgia State Director for America PAC — Elon Musk's allied super PAC supporting President Trump — Ben built and ran the field operation that canvassed and turned out 650,000 voters. Day-to-day responsibilities included managing 600+ canvassers and 10 mid-level field directors, coordinating with the broader Trump field architecture, and advising state directors in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania on canvassing and operational best practices.
Scale
- 650,000 voters canvassed and turned out
- 600+ canvassers managed
- 10 mid-level field directors
- Cross-state advisory role: WI, NC, PA
Additional Engagements
A representative sample.
- Joy Eakins for Kansas Governor (2024–2026) — Took candidate from <1% baseline name ID to 4th in field with highest favorability among GOP and Independent voters in the final Ft. Hays State public poll.
- Stephanie Wise for Sedgwick County (2024) — Won contested primary against opponent backed by two out-of-state PACs spending 3:1, on the back of a full advance mail and ballot-chase program.
- Mason Foley for Congress, TN-07 (2025) — Built complete campaign team in five days; moved candidate from 10th to near-5th in primary in eight weeks.
- Jaqueline Kelly for Judge (2024) — Direct mail and ballot-chase program delivered a four-way primary win.
- J.V. Johnston for Wichita City Council (2023) — Advance mail / ballot-chase strategy delivered a three-way primary win.
- Becky Tuttle for Wichita City Council (2022–2023) — Advance mail / ballot-chase program delivered an upset win over established Democratic opponent.
- Ryan Baty for Sedgwick County Commission (2022) — Primary challenge to popular incumbent Democrat in Democratic-leaning district.
Sample Work Product
See how we think.
Every Cato engagement begins with a diagnostic memo: a structured assessment of the race, the universe, the calendar, and the opposition, followed by a tactical program designed to win. Below is a redacted sample memo — the actual work product we deliver, with client identifiers stripped.
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