# Megan Cotter 2026, Messaging Bible

**Sources:** 2024 palm card, doors script, Westerly Sun LTE, launch statement, solar editorial, 2022 bio draft, ad creative copy 
**Use:** Caption swipe + pillar proof. Keep posts short; pick one proof point.

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## Voice

- Local, practical, neighborly, not partisan sermonizing 
- First person from Megan or first-person volunteer (“I’m out with Megan…”) 
- Proof before values (“brought funding back,” then “because schools matter”) 
- Fine to say Democrat once; don’t lead with it 

**Avoid:** National culture-war framing, dunking on opponents by name in organic (save for careful paid/mail), dumping all five pillars in one caption.

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## Brand lines (ready to paste)

- Working with you. Delivering results. 
- A working mom fighting for the real needs of this community. 
- Results over party lines. 
- Exeter, Richmond, and Hopkinton deserve a voice that shows up. 

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## Meet Megan, identity swipe

| Beat | Line |
|------|------|
| Working mom | Megan is a working mom raising her family in Exeter, and she brings that same fight-for-what-matters energy to the State House. |
| House fire | When their home was destroyed by fire, neighbors showed up. Megan and her family rebuilt in the same place, and she’s never forgotten what community means. |
| Lund’s / squid | By day she works in Rhode Island’s seafood industry (yes, calamari). She knows what it means to work hard and look out for the people next door. |
| Collaborative | She’s the kind of legislator who works with anyone ready to get something done for western RI. |

**Bio short:** Classical High → URI. Married to Christopher; kids Emily, Joseph, and Charles. District 39: Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond.

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## Pillars, one proof point each

### 1. Costs / seniors 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (2).png` 
**Headline:** Lowered costs for families and seniors 

Proof points (pick one):
- Expanded Social Security tax relief for seniors 
- Child tax credit support ($300+ more per child in state CTC language on creative) 
- Increased access to affordable childcare 
- Restored cost-of-living adjustments for many retired teachers and state employees (palm card) 
- Supported full elimination of the car tax (palm card) 

**Caption seed:** Seniors and families in our towns shouldn’t have to choose between bills and dignity. Megan fought to lower costs, including Social Security tax relief and support for working parents.

### 2. Schools 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (3).png` 
**Headline:** Supporting our kids and schools 

Proof points (pick one):
- Won yearly state aid increases for schools 
- Secured more funding for regional school districts (Chariho / rural) 
- Passed a bill to study social media’s impact on youth 

**Caption seed:** Our regional schools need a champion who knows rural districts aren’t an afterthought. Megan fought for yearly state aid increases for the kids in our communities.

### 3. Healthcare 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (4).png` 
**Headline:** Caring for our health 

Proof points (pick one):
- Worked with RIPTA to fully fund a van for Wood River Health, more neighbors getting to affordable care 
- Increased Medicaid support for Wood River Health Center 
- $115 million to strengthen RI’s Medicaid system (creative) 
- Fought to protect discount drug programs 
- Helped raise Medicaid reimbursement rates so care stays accessible (doors script) 

**Caption seed:** In rural RI, getting to care is half the battle. Megan worked with RIPTA to fund a van for Wood River Health so more neighbors can actually reach affordable healthcare.

### 4. Forests 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (5).png` 
**Headline:** Preserving forests and open spaces 

Proof points (pick one):
- After the Exeter wildfire: Forest Management Commission + stronger wildfire prevention planning 
- Funding for forest ranger positions / forestry fire hose investment 
- Green Bond additions for farms, forest management, and open space 
- $3M farmland + $3M open space (creative) 
- Responsible solar siting, renewables without clear-cutting forests (2023 editorial) 

**Caption seed:** After the Exeter fire, Megan didn’t wait for someone else to lead. She pushed forest management and wildfire prevention so our firefighters and forests aren’t left guessing next season.

### 5. Taxpayers 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS (6).png` 
**Headline:** Protecting taxpayers 

Proof points (pick one):
- Brought more legislative grant money into the district than any other rep in the past decade (palm / launch) 
- Co-sponsored bipartisan Inspector General law to prevent fraud and waste 
- Secured an audit of RI Dept of Transportation 
- Helped RIPTA close a major budget gap so service continues for people who need it 

**Caption seed:** One of a state rep’s main jobs is bringing resources home and watching how dollars are spent. Megan’s record is about results for taxpayers, including bipartisan accountability work.

### All-five overview (rare) 
**Graphic:** `DELIVERING RESULTS_ HIGHLIGHT ACCOMPLISHMENTS.png` 
Use once for a “first-term snapshot” or launch anniversary, not weekly.

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## Pushback frame (from Westerly Sun LTE)

When someone frames her as “too liberal for western RI”:

- Don’t take the bait on ideology. 
- Point to Green Bond / forests, Wood River van, district grants, firefighter advocacy, education cost relief. 
- Close: judge her by the work, not the party label. Invite people to join at megan@megancotterri.com / megancotterri.com 

Use sparingly in organic; better as earned media or a single pinned “record” post.

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## CTAs (match category)

| Goal | CTA |
|------|-----|
| List | Join the email list at megancotterri.com |
| Field | Volunteer for a canvass shift, doors win this district |
| Yard signs | Want a yard sign? Reply / sign up at megancotterri.com |
| Donate | Chip in to keep this grassroots campaign running |
| Early vote | Early in-person voting: [dates when known]. Plan how you’ll vote. |
| Election Day | Polling place: vote.ri.gov, some locations change |

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## Hashtag bank

`#MeganCotter` `#HD39` `#ExeterRI` `#RichmondRI` `#HopkintonRI` `#WorkingWithYou` `#DeliveringResults` `#Chariho` `#WesternRI`

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## Do / Don’t

**Do:** One pillar, one proof, one ask. Name towns. Tie posts to real field weeks.  
**Don’t:** Em dashes (—). Use a comma, period, colon, or a plain hyphen for attributions (`- Name, Town`).  
**Don’t:** Post all five Results bullets every time. Treat social as the main persuasion channel. Transplant town-council / challenger “about me” rhythms from other races.

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## Neighbor quote bank (2026)

Use in Working With You / Endorsements. Drop quote into the graphic before posting, templates still show Lorem ipsum until updated in Canva.

| Name | Town | Best use |
|------|------|----------|
| Jessica Purcell | Hopkinton | Short grit line (Aug 14) |
| Michael Niemeyer | Hopkinton/Westerly | Hometown pride endorsement (Sep 10) |
| Chip Heil | Hopkinton | Rural / transcend politics (Sep 16) |
| Kristen Chambers | Richmond | Positive campaign (Sep 18) |
| Antonia Bryson | Richmond | Round-two enthusiasm (Sep 22) |
| Dan Fitzgerald | Hopkinton | Inclusion / values (Sep 25) |
| Jared Graham | Richmond | Get the word out (Sep 29) |