Rhode Island Private Eye Offers Political Opposition Research

Online, February 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - February 10, 2010 North Kingstown, RI.

Vic Pichette, President of Genesis Investigations of Rhode Island for over 21 years, is offering candidates opposition research.

Pichette worries that candidates who are new to the political process, do not know about this valuable service and will not be properly prepared.

Pichette says, "Opposition research is one the most important processes a candidate and their team can do to win an election. People think that opposition research is the process of digging up dirt on an opposing candidate, but that is not true. Opposition research is uncovering everything an incumbent or an opponent has done throughout his or her career".

Pichette feels that it is imperative that a candidate know their opponents. "How can you run against someone if you have no idea who they are and what they stand for?" says Pichette

Opposition research is new to the Rhode Island political process, and Pichette thinks he is the only one offering this service in the Ocean State. "Why hire an outside company when you have a local agency working on your behalf who understands the ins and outs of Rhode Island?" asks Pichette

"We have been conducting legal, corporate and personal research for many years, and we are taking these skills into the political arena".

What is opposition research?

OPPOSITION RESEARCH is the term used to classify and describe efforts of supporters or paid consultants of a political candidate to legally investigate the biographical, legal or criminal, educational, financial, public and private administrative and or voting records of the opposing candidate, as well as prior media coverage. The research is usually conducted in the time period between announcement of intent to run and the actual election. The practice is both a tactical maneuver and a cost-saving measure.
Opposition researchers may work exclusively for one candidate or many, one group, or many groups that share ideologies and financial interests, or the highest bidder. Opposition research has also played a role in confirmation of nominees to the Supreme Court, and Presidential Appointments.
Pichette says, "We take the time to go into the background of the competition and uncover what they may have said in speeches, lectures, in TV ads etc. We also look at anything written by or about the candidate, including the candidates associations, financial backers, friends, past history and more. This information takes time to build. When we are through with our research, the candidate that we work for will know everything about the competition, and then be able to form a great campaign message.
Pichette understands that some of the candidates may not be able to afford this type of service, so he is offering classes on Opposition Research to candidates or they're staff.
Pichette says," many new candidates are running for the first time and do not have a budget, for a small fee I will meet with the staff and teach them some great ways of conducting research themselves. Trust me, if you are running against an incumbent and he or she feels you are getting close, they will stop at nothing to look into your background, and use opposition research against you."
Pichette also offers other services such as personal Protection, Bug Detection, Security and more to any candidate.
You can check find out about Vic Pichette by searching his name on Google, or by visiting his web site at www.genesisinvestigations.com