Last updated: Apr 18, 2026 12:00 PM ET — Data from Meta Ads API + Facebook Graph API
Facebook Page Performance (Last 28 Days)
753
Followers
▲ +2 since last run
787
Talking About
No change since last run
25
Posts (28d)
▲ 66.7% vs prior 28d
123
Shares (28d)
▲ 373.1% vs prior 28d
15
Posts (Prior 28d)
Comparison window
26
Shares (Prior 28d)
Comparison window
Top Performing Posts (Last 28 Days — by Shares)
| Date | Content | Shares |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 1 | Mark Van Buren, candidate for Licking County Commissioner. Why I want to be your… | 22 |
| Apr 11 | Mark Van Buren Republican Candidate for Licking County Commissioner Minute with … | 15 |
| Apr 16 | Mark Van Buren Republican Candidate for Licking County Commissioner announces Me… | 12 |
| Apr 6 | Mark Van Buren, Republican Candidate for Licking County Commissioner. A minute w… | 12 |
| Mar 25 | No plans this evening? Come on out to the Meet the Candidate Night at the Newark… | 12 |
Website Analytics (citizensforvanburen.com)
545
Sessions (Last 7d)
GA4 property 531118516
509
Users (Last 7d)
citizensforvanburen.com
640
Page Views (Last 7d)
Live from GA4 API
0m 37s
Avg Engagement (Last 7d)
Avg session duration
Paid Advertising
Ad Campaigns
| Phase | Dates | Budget | Objective | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness A | Apr 9 – May 5 | $600 ($11/day) | Reach & name recognition | ACTIVE (4 of 6 ads) |
| Awareness B (A/B Test) | Apr 9 – May 5 | $600 ($11/day) | Reach — zip code targeting | ACTIVE (6 of 17 ads) |
| Campaign C (Counter-Endorsement) | Apr 13 – May 5 | $22/day | Counter Bogantz endorsement ads | ACTIVE — Pruned to 2 survivors: C3 Warm Farm Bureau (0.63%) + C4 Formal Accessible Leadership (0.65%). 5 ads paused — endorsement format underperformed. |
| Traffic | Apr 13 – May 5 | $18/day ($486 total) | Drive to website | Active (4 active, healthy) |
| Campaign F — Meet Mark Tour Events | Apr 17 – 30 (staggered) | $10/day per event + $15/day county-wide (~$245 total) | Event promotion / Reach | PAUSED — awaiting Kelly activation. 6 ads: Heath (Apr 21), Hanover (Apr 22), Johnstown (Apr 24), Newark (Apr 28), Pataskala (Apr 29), + county-wide. Custom 1440×1440 creatives, geo-targeted. |
| GOTV | Apr 28 – May 4 | Increase daily budget | “Vote May 5” urgency | Pending |
| Google Search | Apr 12 – May 5 | $500 | Capture voter searches | Active — geo + keywords fixed Apr 14 |
| YouTube | Apr 13 – May 5 | $900 (~$45/day) | Video pre-roll & Shorts | Active — upgraded to dedicated Citizens for Van Buren channel (Apr 15). Budget increased Apr 16. |
| Total | $2,500+ | |||
Account-Level Spend Summary (Apr 17 Checkpoint)
$312.48
Total Meta Spend (through Apr 16)
2.42
Account Frequency
Watching — above 2.0 threshold
15
Active Ads (post-prune)
Down from ~21 (Apr 17 prune)
~$1,673
Projected Total through May 5
~$1,428 campaigns A–E (within 5% of $1,364 est.) + ~$245 Campaign F
Meet Mark Tour — April Events
Event Schedule — citizensforvanburen.com/events
| Date | Location | Venue | Facebook Event | Campaign F Ad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Apr 21 | Heath | Geller Park | FB Event → | PAUSED |
| Tue Apr 22 | Hanover | Legacy Park | FB Event → | PAUSED |
| Thu Apr 24 | Johnstown | Gazebo on the Square | FB Event → | PAUSED |
| Mon Apr 28 | Newark | Children’s Home Park | FB Event → | PAUSED |
| Tue Apr 29 | Pataskala | Veterans Green | FB Event → | PAUSED |
| + County-wide Tour ad | $15/day county-wide overlay (Apr 17–30) | PAUSED | ||
Campaign F: 6 total ads. Custom 1440×1440 creatives. Geo-targeted per town + county-wide. Activation pending Kelly approval. Budget: $10/day per town event + $15/day county-wide ≈ $245 total (Apr 17–30).
Competitive Landscape
Candidate Comparison
| Candidate | Threat | FB Followers | Meta Ads | Google Ads | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Van Buren | — | 753 | ACTIVE (5 campaigns, 15 active / ~21 paused) | Google ads serving (verification cleared) | citizensforvanburen.com |
| Jeff Rath | HIGH | 485 | $0 | $0 | PARKED domain |
| Bill Bogantz | MED-HIGH | 505 | ~$500-800 | $0 | billbogantz.com (Canva) |
| Gregory Smith | LOW | None | $0 | $0 | None |
| James Snedden Jr | LOW | None | $0 | $0 | None |
Bogantz Ad Detail (Meta Ad Library)
| Creative | Dates | Spend | Impressions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vote Bogantz for County Commissioner | Apr 18 — active | $0–$99 | 100–999 |
| Vote Bogantz - A True Conservative for Licking County Commis… | Apr 11 — active | $200–$299 | 20K–24K |
| Vote Bogantz - A True Conservative for Licking County Commis… | Apr 11 — Apr 11 | $0–$99 | 100–999 |
| Video/image ad | Apr 10 — Apr 17 | $100–$199 | 15K–19K |
| Video/image ad | Apr 7 — Apr 13 | $100–$199 | 15K–19K |
| Thank you Mr. Richard Salvage! | Apr 6 — Apr 17 | $200–$299 | 30K–34K |
| Video/image ad | Apr 5 — Apr 6 | $0–$99 | 2K–2K |
| Video/image ad | Apr 4 — Apr 5 | $0–$99 | 3K–3K |
| Video/image ad | Apr 4 — Apr 4 | $0–$99 | 0–99 |
| Thank you Mr. Richard Salvage! | Mar 30 — Apr 7 | $100–$199 | 10K–14K |
| Thank you Mr. Richard Salvage! | Mar 30 — Mar 31 | $0–$99 | 100–999 |
| Please take a few minutes to get to know me better! Paid fo… | Mar 22 — active | $400–$499 | 45K–49K |
| Please take a few minutes to get to know me better! Paid fo… | Mar 15 — Mar 23 | $0–$99 | 8K–8K |
| Please take a few minutes to get to know me better! Paid fo… | Mar 8 — Mar 15 | $0–$99 | 8K–8K |
| Total (14 ads) | — | — | |
Live from Meta Ad Library. Last checked: Apr 18, 2026 12:00 PM ET.
Key Intelligence
Rath: Lost own primary 35-65% (May 2025). LCRP fundraiser support. No website, no ads. Expanding into Hebron.
Bogantz: Age 65. Real estate broker (launched Superior Real Estate 2023) with conflict of interest. 13 total ads since Mar 8, active with endorsement ads (Houser, Salvage, solo). ~$500-800 total spend. NEW: affordability messaging targeting younger voters priced out. Banned utility-scale solar in Liberty Twp. "God first, family second, community."
Smith: 19.32% in trustee race. Ghost candidate.
Snedden: Libertarian → Democrat → Republican. 79yo (corrected). Navy veteran, two Vietnam tours. Admits switching to R is a "smart move."
McLeish (D): General election opponent. Retired, first-time candidate. Minimal threat — 5,792 D vs 24,081 R registered voters.
LCRP: Did NOT endorse in commissioner race (Mar 2). All 5 GOP candidates listed equally.
Early voting: Started Apr 7 at BOE, 20 S. 2nd Street, Newark.
Voter registration: 124,807 total — 24,081 R, 5,792 D, vast majority unaffiliated.
Newark income tax on May 5 ballot — drives Newark turnout (benefits Rath).
Campaign Setup Status
Completed
Google Analytics (GA4)✓ LIVE
Meta Pixel✓ LIVE
Home & About page SEO✓ DONE
Facebook admin access✓ DONE
Cloudflare Pages✓ DONE
Client portal✓ LIVE
Google Ads account✓ CREATED
Opposition research✓ DONE
Keyword & ad strategy✓ DONE
Google Alerts (12)✓ ACTIVE
Photos received (4)✓ DONE
Treasurer confirmed✓ Catherine Baird
In Progress / Pending
Meta disclaimer✓ Done (Approved)
Meta ads✓ ACTIVE (15 active across 4 campaigns — A, B, C, Traffic; Campaign F ready/paused; Apr 17 prune complete)
Google election verification✓ CLEARED (verified by impressions Apr 14)
Google Search campaign✓ ACTIVE (geo + keyword cleanup deployed Apr 14)
YouTube campaign✓ SERVING (69 impressions Apr 14)
Campaign C (Counter-Endorsement)✓ ACTIVE (7 ads, launched Apr 12)
Website JSON-LD schema enhanced✓ Apr 14 (WebSite + enriched Person)
SEO landing page FAQPage schema✓ Apr 14 (5 Q&As, rich-snippet eligible)
Google Ads conversion tag installed✓ Apr 14 (AW-18060073791 on 6 pages)
Google Ads dashboard wired to live data✓ Apr 14 (auto-refresh every 4h)
Professional headshot● Still needed
Issues write-up (6 topics)● Waiting on Mark
FB page OPSEC fixes✓ Resolved Apr 14
Website: Issues page● After issues write-up
Website: Endorsements page● After endorsement list
C-TEC Forum prep (Apr 25)✓ Logistics confirmed Apr 14 — forum-prep.html updated
Submit strategic questions to Newark Advocate● Deadline Apr 22 — Kelly drafting
Campaign finance filing deadline● Apr 23 — 9 days away
Ballotpedia candidate page● Mark to complete Candidate Connection survey
OTA contact page link to campaign URL● Kelly to request from Ohio Township Association
LCRP candidate listing website URL● Kelly to request
Strategy update email to Mark/Catherine✓ Sent Apr 14
Monitor Newark Council Apr 15 tax vote● Special meeting tomorrow — track outcome for messaging
Campaign D — Newark Tax Response (3 copy drafts)● Posted Apr 14 for Mark + Catherine approval
Ad copy rewrite — “inside tax millage” (per your Apr 15 message)✓ Live Apr 15 — B-Short Waste v2 active, pending Meta political review
YouTube ads — dedicated Citizens for Van Buren channel✓ Upgraded Apr 15 — your ads now run on a dedicated channel for cleaner brand presence
New YouTube video ad● In review (Meta political review in progress)
Active Monitoring (17 Google Alerts)
Candidate Alerts
“Jeff Rath” licking county
“Bill Bogantz” licking county
“Gregory Smith” licking county
“James Snedden” licking county
“Mark Van Buren” licking county
“Citizens for Van Buren”
Race & Issue Alerts
“licking county commissioner”
licking county commissioner election 2026
newark ohio income tax may 2026
“Etna Oversight” commissioner
Opponent Digital Monitoring
“Neighbors for Rath” (FB)
“Supporters of Bill Bogantz” (FB)
site:billbogantz.com
Bogantz OR Rath commissioner ad
Weekly Manual Checks
Meta Ad Library — new ads or spend changesWeekly
Google Ad Transparency — any candidate starts Google AdsWeekly
Ohio SOS campaign finance filingsWeekly
Newark Advocate / Reporting Project — race coverageWeekly
C-TEC Forum (Apr 25) — monitor for format changes✓ Confirmed Apr 14