See Our Work
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Need to Impeach
Campaign
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Taking on Big Oil
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Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
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Foundational Principles
What builds a winning campaign.
Strategic Clarity
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Message Discipline
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Paid / Owned / Earned / Social Media Synergy
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Political Judgement
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Foundational Principles
What builds a winning campaign.
Strategic Clarity
Message Discipline
Paid / Owned / Earned / Social Media Synergy
Political Judgement
Foundational Principles
What builds a winning campaign.
Strategic Clarity
Message Discipline
Paid / Owned / Earned / Social Media Synergy
Political Judgement
Our Recent Success
We help clients win high-stakes public affairs and political campaigns where the outcome matters and the opposition is well funded.
California vs. Big Oil
Protecting Communities from Toxic Oil Drilling
When oil companies spent tens of millions of dollars to overturn a new California law creating health and safety setbacks between oil drilling sites and homes, schools, and hospitals, Foundation Public helped lead an aggressive, asymmetric campaign that defined the issue early and channeled overwhelming public and political pressure. Despite being outspent $63 Million to $5 Million, Foundation Public’s campaign forced the industry ultimately retreat and withdraw its own referendum from the ballot, allowing the law to take effect.
California Proposition 31
Statewide Flavored Tobacco Ban
After tobacco companies forced a statewide referendum to attempt to overturn California’s flavored tobacco ban, Foundation Public led the campaign strategy to defend the law. Working with a broad coalition of national and state public health organizations, the campaign controlled the narrative early and won decisively, with 63% of California voters upholding the law. By Election Day, the opposition had largely abandoned persuasion efforts and failed to shift public opinion.
Stopping Flavored Tobacco Including Menthol
Landmark Legislative Victory
Facing fierce opposition from the tobacco industry, which outspent the campaign 5 to 1, Foundation Public led strategy and media for the effort to pass California’s flavored tobacco ban. The campaign reframed the issue as both a public health and racial justice fight, built bipartisan support, and delivered a major legislative victory—making California the largest state in the country to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes.
Need to Impeach
Building a National Movement
Foundation Public co-created, developed and helped execute the national communications and paid media strategy that ultimately forced Congress to vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump. The Need to Impeach campaign moved the issue from the political fringe into a mainstream national conversation that pressured Democratic congressional members to listen to their constituents and stand up to a lawless president. The campaign grew at a historic pace, attracting more than one million supporters nationwide and generating more than 1.4 million petition signatures, becoming the largest progressive grassroots organization in the country at the time.
About / Founder
Chris Lehman
Founder
Chris Lehman is a senior political and public affairs strategist trusted by national organizations, high-profile political leaders, high net-worth individuals, labor unions, and neighborhood activists to navigate complex, high-stakes challenges.
His work spans national, state, and local efforts where the stakes are high and the margin for error is small. Known for repeatedly winning David vs Goliath asymmetric campaigns against opponents with much larger budgets, he brings a steady, experienced hand to campaigns operating under pressure.
Chris has led communications, owned and paid media efforts totaling well over $500 million, advising on some of the most competitive and closely watched campaigns in the country. His approach is grounded in fundamentals—outside-the-box winning strategies, message clarity, and execution that repeatedly wins against the odds.
At Foundation Public, he works directly with clients to build strong foundational strategies that put high-stakes campaigns on a winning trajectory.
Our Recent Success
We help clients win high-stakes public affairs and political campaigns where the outcome matters and the opposition is well funded.
Impeached Donald Trump
In 2017, Foundation Public founder Chris Lehman worked with Tom Steyer, Chris Lehane, and Kevin Mack to launch a synergistic campaign to impeach Donald Trump - challenging Democratic Party Leadership who was speaking out against Trump while refusing to exercise their power and do anything about it. The campaign went viral, organized a million Americans in 6 days, and pressured Congress to act and ultimately impeach Trump on December 18, 2019.
Defeated Big Oil
When California passed a law to stop oil companies from drilling for oil in neighborhoods, or near schools and hospitals, Big Oil doubled down. They spent $63 million to overturn the law via referendum. Foundation Public led an asymmetric campaign effort centered on the stories and struggle of neighborhood leaders who bravely dared to challenge Big Oil and protect the health of children and pregnant women who are especially vulnerable to toxic emissions near oil wells. Celebrities like Jane Fonda, John Legend, Chrissy Tiegen, and Julia Louis Dreyfus, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used their power to spotlight these brave neighborhood leaders and defeated Big Oil with a tiny fraction of spending.
Defeated Big Tobacco
Stymied by anti-smoking public education efforts, tobacco taxes, and crackdowns on youth advertising, Big Tobacco made a hard pivot to candy-flavored tobacco products to groom the next generation of smokers addicted to their nicotine products. Foundation Public guided the coalition of America’s largest and most trusted public health groups on an effort that ultimately banned candy-flavored tobacco in California for good while spending a tiny fraction of what Big Tobacco hurled against us.
About Us
is a full-service political and public affairs firm with national, statewide, and local experience including:
35 Ballot Measure Campaigns
State Legislative Advocacy
Independent Expenditures
US Presidential Campaign
Crisis Communications
Non-Profit Campaigns
National Issue Advocacy
Legislative Caucus Campaigns
State, County, and City Candidate Campaigns
Foundation Public, LLC was founded by Chris Lehman who developed a reputation over 22 years in political and public affairs for repeatedly winning David vs. Goliath upset victories over the tobacco industry and for co-creating the national Need to Impeach campaign that resulted in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Case Studies
National Campaigns
Foundation Public LLC’s founder
Chris Lehman co-created the Need to Impeach campaign with Tom Steyer, Chris Lehane, and Kevin Mack.
The aggressive asymmetric effort began with a pointed letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that was featured in the
New York Times and followed up by a groundbreaking television campaign that Lehman created, produced with Mark Putnam, and oversaw execution through 2019.
State Campaigns
2003-2020 - Senate Democrats - For 16 years, Foundation Public LLC’s Chris Lehman served as a top consultant and strategist for four consecutive leaders of the California State Senate and Senate Democrats. In 2004, under the leadership of Senator Don Perata, the Senate Democratic Caucus emerged as the progressive tip of the spear in opposition to Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
About Us
is a full-service political and public affairs firm with national, statewide, and local experience including:
-
33 Ballot Measure Campaigns
-
US Presidential Campaign
-
National Issue Advocacy
-
State Legislative Advocacy
-
Crisis Communications
-
Legislative Caucus Campaigns
-
Independent Expenditures
-
Non-Profit Campaigns
-
State, County, and City Candidate Campaigns
Foundation Public, LLC was founded by Chris Lehman who developed a reputation over 22 years in political and public affairs for repeatedly winning David vs. Goliath upset victories over the tobacco industry and for co-creating the national Need to Impeach campaign that resulted in the impeachment of President Donald Trump.