Deep Dive: How a 22-year-old with no money beat a 10-term Republican incumbent
Rep. Wyatt Gable didn’t win because he was polished, powerful, or persuasive. He won because he worked harder.
Some young candidates come across like they’ve been preparing for this their whole lives. They’re charismatic, tech-savvy and well-packaged.
Wyatt Gable, age 22, was none of that.
He wasn’t polished. He wasn’t particularly confident. He didn’t have a stirring stump speech or a slick message. But what he lacked in presentation, he made up for with effort.
And standing next to 10-term incumbent Rep. George Cleveland — 84 years old, soft-spoken, and visibly slowing down — the contrast couldn’t have been more clear.
Gable didn’t win because of a viral moment or a big endorsement. He won because he outworked everybody. He knocked on doors. He made phone calls. He showed up, over and over again.
And that raw effort turned into one of the most surprising upsets of the 2024 election cycle.
In this premium article for Longleaf Politics subscribers:
How Gable reverse-engineered a victory with a magic number of just 2,400
What a lean, under-$5K campaign looks like and where the money goes
Why Gable’s Facebook strategy worked — even with only 21 posts
The forum moments that flipped the race
Key takeaways for candidates running on hustle, not money