Ruchi for Rochester — Campaign Platform Proposal
✦   For the best experience, view this on a desktop or laptop   ✦
Best viewed on desktop.
Campaign Platform Proposal · Ward 5 · Rochester MN

Ward 5 Has a Story.
The Website
Isn't Telling It.

A complete campaign platform overhaul — new domain, SüRJ-native infrastructure, integrated communications, real payment processing, and a site that makes voters feel something before they finish scrolling.

Prepared by Recherché Merchant Solutions / SüRJ  ·  April 2026
Scroll to explore
What This Covers
01
Site AuditWhat's broken and why it costs votes
02
Competitive IntelligenceThe incumbent's positioning gaps
03
New Domain + SüRJ StackSMS, email, comms central, real payments
04
Homepage RedesignThe site voters actually respond to
05
Implementation RoadmapPhased, fast, SüRJ-native
01 — Current Site Audit

The current site is
losing votes every day.

ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com is a Squarespace starter template that was filled in, not designed. In a local Ward race where margins are in the hundreds, first impressions online matter more than almost anything else.

What We Found — Current Site
Domain with four hyphens signals amateur execution before the page even loads
Generic Squarespace template — zero visual distinction from thousands of non-political sites
Hero opens with "Hi! I am your neighbor" — warm, but zero urgency or contrast with the incumbent
Bullet list of "I am..." statements in place of a compelling candidate narrative
Three pillars (Environment, Economy, Connectivity) are headlines with nothing substantive underneath
Donation workflow sends voters to Venmo and Zelle — no real payment page, no tracking, no receipting
No SMS opt-in, no email capture, no automation — zero re-engagement capability after a visitor leaves
Yard sign CTA says "Coming Soon" — a live conversion opportunity abandoned
No contrast with the incumbent whatsoever — voters can't see why the choice actually matters
What It Should Be Doing
Clean branded domain voters remember, trust, and can actually type from a yard sign
A site that looks as credible as Ruchi's actual credentials
Hero that leads with Ward 5 stakes — issues front and center, urgency built in from line one
Her 4-year planning expertise positioned as the direct answer to real, named problems
Policy positions with real detail — showing voters she's read the reports and done the work
Hosted payment page with card processing — professional, compliant, and trackable
SMS and email capture on every CTA — every visitor becomes a reachable contact
All three volunteer actions live and frictionless on day one
Clear, respectful contrast with 8 years of the same Ward 5 representation
4
Hyphens in the current domain — zero is the right number
0
SMS or email automation sequences currently in place
3
Donation methods — none of them are a hosted payment page
0
Direct mentions of Ward 5's unresolved issues or the incumbent
Current site — what a first-time voter feels after landing
"She seems nice. I should look into this more… someday."
After the rebuild — what that same visitor should feel
"She's the one. How do I help?"
02 — Competitive Intelligence

The incumbent's record
gives us the opening.

Councilmember Shaun Palmer has held Ward 5 since 2018 — re-elected with 72% in 2022. His positioning relies on nostalgia and fear of change. His record on the issues voters care about most tells a different story.

Shaun Palmer — 8 Years, Same Approach
Opposed density zoning that could have created housing
Stood against R2x zoning in Pill Hill while Rochester's homelessness surged post-COVID and shelter beds closed across the city.
Fear-based messaging about "outside influences"
Warns voters against groups trying to make Rochester "like the Twin Cities" — in a city that's home to Mayo Clinic and serves patients from around the world.
Homelessness crisis still unresolved after two terms
Rochester's own 390-page homelessness report (Feb. 2026) calls the status quo unacceptable. No Ward 5-level housing-first policy exists.
Decisions communicated after the vote, not before
Major zoning and development decisions reached residents after they were made — outreach happened after the fact, not as genuine input.
Ruchi Gupta — Informed. Forward. Accountable.
4 years as Planning Commission Chair
She didn't read about housing policy during the campaign. She shaped it from inside the process — ordinances, hearings, and development decisions firsthand.
Rochester's global position is a strength, not a threat
As a Mayo Clinic data scientist, Ruchi understands Rochester's place in the world — and how to grow without losing what makes it home.
Housing-first as a Ward 5 commitment
Committed to aligning Ward 5 with Rochester's own homelessness task force recommendations — not waiting for someone else to move first.
Pre-vote transparency, every time
Every major council vote communicated to Ward 5 residents before it happens. A published decision log so constituents can track what's done and what isn't.
The positioning statement the site should make
"Ward 5 doesn't need someone who's been there eight years talking about what they'll do. It needs someone who has already done the work — and is ready to do more on your behalf."
03 — The Solution Stack

A campaign platform built
to win, not just exist.

Everything proposed here runs on SüRJ — the same platform SüRJ operates for client campaigns. No more Squarespace. No piecemeal tools. One integrated system handling the website, communications, and donations from a single SüRJ dashboard.

!
Priority Zero — Fix the Domain First
Four hyphens are four votes of lost credibility.

A hyphenated domain is impossible to say out loud, unreadable on a yard sign, and signals "I set this up in an afternoon." Every time a voter tries to remember the URL — ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com — that's friction that costs you. The clean version is almost certainly available, costs $12/year, and is worth more to this campaign than any single event.

Current — Stay Away From
ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com
4 hyphens · hard to say · impossible to remember
Proposed — Own This
ruchiforrochester.com
Clean · memorable · reads off any yard sign
💬

SMS Communications Central

Every form submission — volunteer sign-up, yard sign request, donation — triggers an automated SMS sequence. Voters opt in once and stay connected through Election Day.

  • Automated confirmation texts on every form fill
  • Broadcast SMS to the full list before key events
  • Two-way texting from a dedicated campaign number
  • Volunteer reminders and canvassing coordination
📧

Email Automation Sequences

Stop sending one-off emails. Build sequences that welcome new supporters, nurture undecided voters, and mobilize the list when it counts most.

  • Welcome sequence for every new contact type
  • Issue spotlight campaigns tied to the three pillars
  • Donation follow-up and thank-you automation
  • GOTV countdown sequence triggered 14 days out
💳
Upgrade from Venmo

Integrated Donation Page & Payments

Venmo and Zelle are fine between friends. A campaign deserves a real hosted payment page — card processing, receipt automation, and donor tracking built in from day one.

  • Branded hosted payment page at ruchiforrochester.com/donate
  • Credit/debit card processing via DropTheFee integration
  • Automatic donor receipts and acknowledgment emails
  • Donor list exportable for compliance reporting
📊

Supporter CRM & Contact Pipeline

Every volunteer, donor, and yard sign requester flows into a single contact record. See who's done what, follow up with anyone, and never lose a supporter lead.

  • Unified contact record per supporter
  • Pipeline stages: New → Contacted → Active → Voter
  • Tagged segmentation by action type
  • One-click call or text from any contact record
Why SüRJ — and why it wins
SüRJ gives you the website, CRM, email, SMS, automation, and payment pages under one roof — at a fraction of what you'd pay for Squarespace + Mailchimp + a payment processor separately. SüRJ already manages this platform for client campaigns. Ruchi gets the infrastructure, the setup, and the ongoing support — without hiring a full campaign tech team. This isn't a vendor pitch. It's the same stack we'd use ourselves.
04 — Homepage Redesign

What the new site
feels like to a voter.

Staying true to the navy and teal palette Ruchi already chose — elevating the execution, not replacing the identity. Every section earns the scroll.

Light
Dark
ruchiforrochester.com
Ward 5 Deserves Better  ·  Election 2026  ·  Make Your Voice Count
Ward 5 is ready for change

Ward 5 Has Real Problems.
It's Time for Real Solutions.

Ruchi Gupta has spent 4 years inside Rochester's planning process and 23 years as your neighbor. She knows exactly what's broken — and how to fix it.

↑80%
Rise in unsheltered homelessness since 2019
80
Shelter beds lost in 2025 alone
8yr
Same Ward 5 rep, unresolved issues
0
Ward-level housing-first policies
Why Change Matters
Ward 5 deserves a rep who acts, not just talks.
8 Years — Status Quo
Opposed housing density zoning
No housing-first framework
Decisions made behind closed doors
Fear-based messaging on growth
Ruchi — Forward
Evidence-based housing solutions
Housing-first as a Ward 5 priority
Pre-vote transparency every time
Rochester's global future as an asset
Volunteer

Give 2 Hours. Change the Outcome.

Ward 5 elections are won by hundreds of votes. One canvassing shift puts Ruchi in front of dozens of neighbors who might otherwise sit this out.

Donate

No PAC. No War Chest. Just Neighbors.

This campaign runs on Ward 5 contributions. Give $25 or $250 — securely, with a real payment page and an instant receipt.

Yard Sign

Make Your Lawn a Statement.

In local races, yard sign density is voter psychology. Request one for your home or business in Ward 5 — free, fast, impactful.

"Ward 5 doesn't need someone who's been there eight years talking about what they'll do. It needs someone who has already done the work."

Ruchi Gupta · Ward 5 City Council Candidate · 2026
Ruchi for Rochester — Campaign Platform Proposal
✦   For the best experience, view this on a desktop or laptop   ✦
Best viewed on desktop.
Campaign Platform Proposal · Ward 5 · Rochester MN

Ward 5 Has a Story.
The Website
Isn't Telling It.

A complete campaign platform overhaul — new domain, SüRJ-native infrastructure, integrated communications, real payment processing, and a site that makes voters feel something before they finish scrolling.

Prepared by Recherché Merchant Solutions / SüRJ  ·  April 2026
Scroll to explore
What This Covers
01
Site AuditWhat's broken and why it costs votes
02
Competitive IntelligenceThe incumbent's positioning gaps
03
New Domain + SüRJ StackSMS, email, comms central, real payments
04
Homepage RedesignThe site voters actually respond to
05
Implementation RoadmapPhased, fast, SüRJ-native
01 — Current Site Audit

The current site is
losing votes every day.

ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com is a Squarespace starter template that was filled in, not designed. In a local Ward race where margins are in the hundreds, first impressions online matter more than almost anything else.

What We Found — Current Site
Domain with four hyphens signals amateur execution before the page even loads
Generic Squarespace template — zero visual distinction from thousands of non-political sites
Hero opens with "Hi! I am your neighbor" — warm, but zero urgency or contrast with the incumbent
Bullet list of "I am..." statements in place of a compelling candidate narrative
Three pillars (Environment, Economy, Connectivity) are headlines with nothing substantive underneath
Donation workflow sends voters to Venmo and Zelle — no real payment page, no tracking, no receipting
No SMS opt-in, no email capture, no automation — zero re-engagement capability after a visitor leaves
Yard sign CTA says "Coming Soon" — a live conversion opportunity abandoned
No contrast with the incumbent whatsoever — voters can't see why the choice actually matters
What It Should Be Doing
Clean branded domain voters remember, trust, and can actually type from a yard sign
A site that looks as credible as Ruchi's actual credentials
Hero that leads with Ward 5 stakes — issues front and center, urgency built in from line one
Her 4-year planning expertise positioned as the direct answer to real, named problems
Policy positions with real detail — showing voters she's read the reports and done the work
Hosted payment page with card processing — professional, compliant, and trackable
SMS and email capture on every CTA — every visitor becomes a reachable contact
All three volunteer actions live and frictionless on day one
Clear, respectful contrast with 8 years of the same Ward 5 representation
4
Hyphens in the current domain — zero is the right number
0
SMS or email automation sequences currently in place
3
Donation methods — none of them are a hosted payment page
0
Direct mentions of Ward 5's unresolved issues or the incumbent
Current site — what a first-time voter feels after landing
"She seems nice. I should look into this more… someday."
After the rebuild — what that same visitor should feel
"She's the one. How do I help?"
02 — Competitive Intelligence

The incumbent's record
gives us the opening.

Councilmember Shaun Palmer has held Ward 5 since 2018 — re-elected with 72% in 2022. His positioning relies on nostalgia and fear of change. His record on the issues voters care about most tells a different story.

Shaun Palmer — 8 Years, Same Approach
Opposed density zoning that could have created housing
Stood against R2x zoning in Pill Hill while Rochester's homelessness surged post-COVID and shelter beds closed across the city.
Fear-based messaging about "outside influences"
Warns voters against groups trying to make Rochester "like the Twin Cities" — in a city that's home to Mayo Clinic and serves patients from around the world.
Homelessness crisis still unresolved after two terms
Rochester's own 390-page homelessness report (Feb. 2026) calls the status quo unacceptable. No Ward 5-level housing-first policy exists.
Decisions communicated after the vote, not before
Major zoning and development decisions reached residents after they were made — outreach happened after the fact, not as genuine input.
Ruchi Gupta — Informed. Forward. Accountable.
4 years as Planning Commission Chair
She didn't read about housing policy during the campaign. She shaped it from inside the process — ordinances, hearings, and development decisions firsthand.
Rochester's global position is a strength, not a threat
As a Mayo Clinic data scientist, Ruchi understands Rochester's place in the world — and how to grow without losing what makes it home.
Housing-first as a Ward 5 commitment
Committed to aligning Ward 5 with Rochester's own homelessness task force recommendations — not waiting for someone else to move first.
Pre-vote transparency, every time
Every major council vote communicated to Ward 5 residents before it happens. A published decision log so constituents can track what's done and what isn't.
The positioning statement the site should make
"Ward 5 doesn't need someone who's been there eight years talking about what they'll do. It needs someone who has already done the work — and is ready to do more on your behalf."
03 — The Solution Stack

A campaign platform built
to win, not just exist.

Everything proposed here runs on SüRJ — the same platform SüRJ operates for client campaigns. No more Squarespace. No piecemeal tools. One integrated system handling the website, communications, and donations from a single SüRJ dashboard.

!
Priority Zero — Fix the Domain First
Four hyphens are four votes of lost credibility.

A hyphenated domain is impossible to say out loud, unreadable on a yard sign, and signals "I set this up in an afternoon." Every time a voter tries to remember the URL — ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com — that's friction that costs you. The clean version is almost certainly available, costs $12/year, and is worth more to this campaign than any single event.

Current — Stay Away From
ruchi-for-rochester-mn.com
4 hyphens · hard to say · impossible to remember
Proposed — Own This
ruchiforrochester.com
Clean · memorable · reads off any yard sign
💬

SMS Communications Central

Every form submission — volunteer sign-up, yard sign request, donation — triggers an automated SMS sequence. Voters opt in once and stay connected through Election Day.

  • Automated confirmation texts on every form fill
  • Broadcast SMS to the full list before key events
  • Two-way texting from a dedicated campaign number
  • Volunteer reminders and canvassing coordination
📧

Email Automation Sequences

Stop sending one-off emails. Build sequences that welcome new supporters, nurture undecided voters, and mobilize the list when it counts most.

  • Welcome sequence for every new contact type
  • Issue spotlight campaigns tied to the three pillars
  • Donation follow-up and thank-you automation
  • GOTV countdown sequence triggered 14 days out
💳
Upgrade from Venmo

Integrated Donation Page & Payments

Venmo and Zelle are fine between friends. A campaign deserves a real hosted payment page — card processing, receipt automation, and donor tracking built in from day one.

  • Branded hosted payment page at ruchiforrochester.com/donate
  • Credit/debit card processing via DropTheFee integration
  • Automatic donor receipts and acknowledgment emails
  • Donor list exportable for compliance reporting
📊

Supporter CRM & Contact Pipeline

Every volunteer, donor, and yard sign requester flows into a single contact record. See who's done what, follow up with anyone, and never lose a supporter lead.

  • Unified contact record per supporter
  • Pipeline stages: New → Contacted → Active → Voter
  • Tagged segmentation by action type
  • One-click call or text from any contact record
Why SüRJ — and why it wins
SüRJ gives you the website, CRM, email, SMS, automation, and payment pages under one roof — at a fraction of what you'd pay for Squarespace + Mailchimp + a payment processor separately. SüRJ already manages this platform for client campaigns. Ruchi gets the infrastructure, the setup, and the ongoing support — without hiring a full campaign tech team. This isn't a vendor pitch. It's the same stack we'd use ourselves.
04 — Homepage Redesign

What the new site
feels like to a voter.

Staying true to the navy and teal palette Ruchi already chose — elevating the execution, not replacing the identity. Every section earns the scroll.

Light
Dark
ruchiforrochester.com
Ward 5 Deserves Better  ·  Election 2026  ·  Make Your Voice Count
Ward 5 is ready for change

Ward 5 Has Real Problems.
It's Time for Real Solutions.

Ruchi Gupta has spent 4 years inside Rochester's planning process and 23 years as your neighbor. She knows exactly what's broken — and how to fix it.

↑80%
Rise in unsheltered homelessness since 2019
80
Shelter beds lost in 2025 alone
8yr
Same Ward 5 rep, unresolved issues
0
Ward-level housing-first policies
Why Change Matters
Ward 5 deserves a rep who acts, not just talks.
8 Years — Status Quo
Opposed housing density zoning
No housing-first framework
Decisions made behind closed doors
Fear-based messaging on growth
Ruchi — Forward
Evidence-based housing solutions
Housing-first as a Ward 5 priority
Pre-vote transparency every time
Rochester's global future as an asset
Volunteer

Give 2 Hours. Change the Outcome.

Ward 5 elections are won by hundreds of votes. One canvassing shift puts Ruchi in front of dozens of neighbors who might otherwise sit this out.

Donate

No PAC. No War Chest. Just Neighbors.

This campaign runs on Ward 5 contributions. Give $25 or $250 — securely, with a real payment page and an instant receipt.

Yard Sign

Make Your Lawn a Statement.

In local races, yard sign density is voter psychology. Request one for your home or business in Ward 5 — free, fast, impactful.

"Ward 5 doesn't need someone who's been there eight years talking about what they'll do. It needs someone who has already done the work."

Ruchi Gupta · Ward 5 City Council Candidate · 2026
Ready to move forward?

This is what a winning
campaign looks like.

Phase 1 — new domain, SüRJ setup, live forms, and a donation page that actually works — can be running in under a week. The site voters see today is costing Ruchi support she's already earned.