Every single participant in this study said the same thing, and I wasn't expecting it: in a study about a Democratic Senate candidate: in a study about a Democratic Senate candidate, every single participant used the same word. Not 'jobs'. Not 'healthcare'. Not even 'Trump'. The word was receipts.
I ran a voter perception study on Haley Stevens, the Democratic Congresswoman from Oakland County who's running for US Senate in Michigan. Six participants. Three questions about what they think of her, whether her messaging lands, and what it would take to win their vote in what everyone agrees is going to be a knife-edge race.
The findings? Fascinating. And honestly, a bit brutal. Her auto industry credentials open the door, but voters are demanding a level of specificity I've rarely seen. One participant put it perfectly: "In a coin-flip race, I'm buying proof of delivery and a spine, not merch."
The Participants
The study included 6 voters aged 42-65 from rural and suburban areas. We had a Sales Manager from rural Maryland, a Livery Driver from Connecticut, a retired community volunteer from rural Georgia, a Product Manager from Massachusetts, an unemployed construction worker from rural Texas, and a Senior Enterprise Account Executive from Arizona.
These aren't coastal liberals or MAGA die-hards. They're pragmatic, middle-of-the-road Americans who care about roads, healthcare costs, and whether politicians actually deliver on their promises. Several explicitly mentioned they'd consider voting Republican if the GOP candidate brought "hard numbers" while Stevens brought "vibes."
First Impressions: 'Credible, But Show Me'
When I asked for honest first reactions to Stevens as a candidate, the auto rescue background did its job. It signalled competence, crisis-tested leadership, and an understanding of manufacturing realities. One participant called her "a nuts-and-bolts Democrat" who can "grind through a crisis and deal with unions, suppliers, and ugly spreadsheets."
But here's where it gets interesting. That credibility came with a massive asterisk. The same participant continued: "If she dodges details, I'm out."
Another voter from rural Texas nailed the tension: "She sounds like a competent, sleeves-rolled-up technocrat type. The auto rescue thing hits me right in the working-class gut. But if she's just another polished DC voice that talks like LinkedIn and lives on donor Zooms, I tune out fast."
Key insight: The auto rescue credentials are a door-opener, not a closer. Voters see it as 2009 history, not 2026 proof. Stevens needs to translate past competence into present-tense specificity.
The 'Chaos Agenda' Messaging: Bumper Sticker Fatigue
Stevens is running against what her campaign calls the "Trump-Musk chaos agenda" while emphasising her auto industry work. I asked if this message resonates.
The verdict? Partly, at best. The "chaos" framing landed for some as a valid contrast, but most participants dismissed it as cable-news noise.
"The 'Trump-Musk chaos agenda' line feels like a bumper sticker," said a 65-year-old Georgia retiree. "I'm worn out on nicknames and feuds. Don't wave a flag unless you've got receipts."
A product manager from Massachusetts was more pointed: "Use 'chaos' sparingly and spend most of the oxygen on what she will build and how she will police waste and cronyism. Show me receipts. Lead with spreadsheets over slogans, then the chaos label lands as context, not a crutch."
The Texas participant summed it up with characteristic bluntness: "If it turns into vibes about Trump-Musk and a bunch of glossy ads, I tune out. Puros cuentos no." (Roughly: "No more tall tales.")
Key insight: Contrast messaging has a ceiling. Voters want 80% policy specifics and 20% contrast framing, not the other way around. The chaos line works only when backed by boring, detailed plans.
What It Takes to Win: The Receipt Doctrine
The final question was direct: In an extremely close race, what would Stevens need to say or do to win your vote over a Republican?
This is where the study got genuinely surprising. I expected policy wishlists. I got accountability infrastructure.
The Maryland Sales Manager didn't just ask for EV transition plans. He demanded: "Plant-by-plant EV retool schedule with funding, headcount, apprenticeship seats, Tier 2-3 bridge support, and penalties if dates slip."
The Massachusetts Product Manager went further: "A signed, enforceable jobs-for-incentives compact with county targets, wage floors, union neutrality, and clawbacks on a public dashboard. If she puts that contract on the table, she looks like steel-toed boots, not slogans."
A few themes emerged across all six participants:
Public accountability dashboards with quarterly updates, before-after photos, and phone lines to report misses
Social Security and Medicare protection "in writing, no weasel words, with simple math I can follow"
EV transition specifics with named plants, exact dates, wage floors, and automatic clawbacks
Public safety with oversight including body cams and independent reviews for federal agents
Rural respect meaning showing up "off the interstate" in forgotten zip codes
Healthcare cost math not access slogans, but monthly out-of-pocket impact
The Georgia retiree captured the stakes: "If she hedges, I am out, and I will hear the Republican out if he brings hard numbers."
Key insight: This isn't a policy debate. It's a trust gap. Voters are building their own accountability systems because they don't believe politicians will. The winning candidate is whoever fills out the spreadsheet first.
What This Means for the Stevens Campaign
If this research is any indication, the path to winning Michigan's Senate seat runs through specificity, not slogans. Here's what the data suggests:
Lead with receipts, follow with contrast. The chaos messaging should be context, not headline. Every "Trump-Musk chaos" reference needs to be paired with a detailed Stevens alternative.
Build a public accountability dashboard. Multiple participants specifically asked for a live project tracker. This is low-hanging fruit that signals competence and transparency.
Put the EV transition on paper. Not a PDF brochure. A signed, public compact with automakers listing plant addresses, dates, jobs protected and added, supplier bridge loans, and penalty clauses. Update it quarterly.
Protect entitlements in writing. Social Security and Medicare came up repeatedly. Voters want a simple, one-page document they can "tuck in a ledger" showing exactly how these programs stay funded.
Show up off the interstate. Rural voters feel invisible. Town halls in forgotten zip codes, in English and Spanish, with real Q&A, would signal the respect they're asking for.
Address public safety with nuance. Recent ICE incidents have voters on edge. They want support for law enforcement AND accountability, body cams, and independent oversight.
The Bottom Line
Haley Stevens starts with a credibility advantage. The auto rescue work means something to these voters. But in a coin-flip race, that foundation isn't enough.
What voters are really asking for is almost radical: they want a candidate who treats them like shareholders, not constituents. Quarterly reports. Public dashboards. Penalty clauses. They're tired of vibes.
One participant summed up the entire study in six words: "Receipts, not vibes."
Want to test your own political messaging or policy positioning? Ditto lets you run studies like this in hours, not weeks. Book a demo at askditto.io.
What the Research Revealed
We asked real consumers to share their thoughts. Here's what they told us:
What is your honest first reaction to Haley Stevens as a candidate?
Casandra Espinoza, 52, Sales Manager, Glendale, AZ, USA:
First reaction: solid on paper. The auto rescue background signals she understands real jobs and supply chains, not just slogans, which I respect. But I get allergic to buzzword salad, so if it is all safe talking points and no specifics, I tune out fast. I would be more likely to vote for her if she shows: Clear EV transition plan that protects union wages, funds retraining, and deals with battery plant impacts on water and air. Real spine on data privacy and cybersecurity. Unflinching on reproductive rights and access, no hedging. Bottom line: I like the resume, but walk me through the plan and the trade-offs.
Kevin Roybal, 42, Unemployed Adult, Rural, TX, USA:
Gut reaction? Pues la neta, she sounds like a competent, sleeves-rolled-up technocrat type. The auto rescue thing hits me right in the working-class gut - saving paychecks beats pretty speeches. But if she's just another polished DC voice that talks like LinkedIn and lives on donor Zooms, I tune out fast. What would make me more likely: Jobs with a wrench in them - real plans for manufacturing 2.0 that protect existing workers and fund apprenticeships in the trades. Healthcare that actually lowers a bill. Rural respect. Receipts: names, timelines, and dollars. Not vibes.
Linda Mitchell, 65, Retiree (Community Involved), Rural, GA, USA:
First reaction? I like that she's got grease-under-the-nails experience from the auto rescue. That says crisis-tested and factory-floor aware, which is worth more to me than a thousand slogans. I'm twitchy about big talk with no receipts. More likely to vote for her if: She's plain about protecting Social Security and Medicare, no gimmicks, no weasel words. She talks manufacturing like she's walked the line. She handles immigration and public safety with a cool head. She says how she'll pay for things, in simple math.
Does Stevens' 'chaos agenda' messaging resonate with you?
Nakia Woolard, 52, Product Manager, Rural, MA, USA:
The 'Trump-Musk chaos agenda' line is a fine contrast, but it reads like a bumper sticker. Her auto-rescue work still signals competence and coalition chops, which matters, but you cannot run on 2009 forever. I'll listen if she leads with hard numbers and timelines, not vibes. Use 'chaos' sparingly and spend most of the oxygen on what she will build and how she will police waste and cronyism. Net: contrast is fine, but show me receipts. Lead with spreadsheets over slogans, then the chaos label lands as context, not a crutch.
Alejandro Lindsay, 61, Sales Manager, Rural, MD, USA:
The auto rescue piece lands. That is real, measurable work. The 'Trump-Musk chaos agenda' line feels like a bumper sticker. I get the warning about instability, but if the pitch leans on name-calling, I tune it out. Talk operations, not celebrities. Give me what you built, what you fixed, and what is next quarter by quarter. If she brings spreadsheets and timelines, I listen. If it is chaos taglines and glossy ads, I am out.
Darrell Xayarath, 59, Livery Driver, Rural, CT, USA:
I think the chaos line is just a slogan. I do not vote for slogans. I like steady plan. If she really helped save auto jobs and paychecks, good. But I need numbers, worker stories, and dates, not podium talk. So yes, auto rescue message is ok, but I am tired of celebrity drama. Talk roads and paychecks. Does she have a road and driver plan with dates and dollars?
What would Stevens need to do to win your vote over a Republican?
Alejandro Lindsay, 61, Sales Manager, Rural, MD, USA:
Close race or not, I pick the one with receipts, not vibes. Spare me the slogans. If she hedges, I am out, and I will hear the Republican out if he brings hard numbers. What she needs to win me over: Plant-by-plant EV retool schedule with funding, headcount, apprenticeship seats, Tier 2-3 bridge support, and penalties if dates slip. Public safety with accountability. The one thing that makes me take a second look: a signed, public EV transition pact with automakers and key suppliers that lists plant addresses, dates, jobs protected and added, and the penalty clauses if milestones are missed.
Nakia Woolard, 52, Product Manager, Rural, MA, USA:
She has to run on receipts, not vibes. In a coin-flip race, I'm buying proof of delivery and a spine, not merch. Jobs-for-incentives contract: no subsidy without wage floors, union neutrality, local supplier spend, and automatic clawbacks. The one thing that makes me take a second look: a signed, enforceable jobs-for-incentives compact with county targets, wage floors, union neutrality, and clawbacks on a public dashboard. If she puts that contract on the table, she looks like steel-toed boots, not slogans. If it's more yard signs than spreadsheets, I move on.
Linda Mitchell, 65, Retiree (Community Involved), Rural, GA, USA:
Gut level, in a nail-biter I hire the grown-up who talks turkey and shows receipts. For Haley to beat a Republican with me, she'd have to: Say it plain on Social Security and Medicare - in writing, no weasel words - and show how it's paid for in simple math I can follow. Prove she's factory-floor fluent with timelines and wages, not buzzwords. The one thing that makes me take a second look: a boring, line-item plan to protect Social Security and Medicare that I can print and tuck in my floral ledger - signed, dated, and backed with numbers I can do on a notepad.
