Atlas Project

The Atlas Project was organized in July 2006 by three of the Democratic Party's "top field organizers"&mdash;"political operatives" Steve Rosenthal, Michael Whouley and Mary Beth Cahill&mdash;"to provide their party's 2008 presidential nominee with road maps to victory in the dozen or so battleground states."

Mission
"The group will analyze election data, interview local Democrats, and mount a polling and targeting effort to devise a comprehensive strategy to win votes in these states," Chris Cillizza and Zachary A. Goldfarb wrote in the July 30, 2006, Washington Post.

For 2004 presidential election, Rosenthal "headed America Coming Together, a liberal advocacy group that built large turnout operations in battleground states, while Cahill managed and Whouley served as the senior adviser to the presidential campaign of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.)."

The polling firms of Garin Hart Yang Research Group, Penn Schoen & Berland and Brilliant Corners were retained, and Copernicus Analytics was "recruited to analyze the data so political messages can more effectively win specific constituencies. The first Atlas Project strategy 'road maps' should be available by January '08."

Related SourceWatch articles

 * ActBlue
 * BlogPAC
 * HOTSOUP.com
 * Rightroots
 * The Fudge Report
 * U.S. presidential election, 2008

External articles

 * Matt Stoller, "The West Wing Characters Become Lobbyists," MyDD, July 30, 2006.
 * Chris Cillizza, "Dems Seek Upper Hand With Atlas Project," The Fix Blog/Washington Post, September 19, 2007.