Ahmad Labib's Political Communication Strategy in the 2024 DPR-RI Legislative Election for East Java Electoral District X (Lamongan-Gresik)

This study aims to analyze the political communication strategy of Ahmad Labib, S.H., M.H.I. in winning the 2024 Legislative Election for the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR-RI) in East Java Electoral District X (Lamongan-Gresik). Ahmad Labib secured 241,581 votes and ranked third among the six contested seats, a significant achievement considering that he had never previously won a legislative contest. This study employed a qualitative method with a constructivist paradigm, in which data were obtained through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation involving Ahmad Labib and his campaign team. The findings indicate that Ahmad Labib's political communication strategy was implemented through four main steps: understanding the audience based on attention area, public area, and sentiment area; constructing a persuasive message entitled "Wes Wayahe Putra Asli Lamongan"; applying redundancy in message delivery; and utilizing Instagram and printed media such as billboards and banners. The campaign model applied was a candidate-oriented campaign with dialogical and face-to-face approaches, using The Five Functional Stages Development Model, which includes identification, legitimacy, participation, penetration, and distribution. Ahmad Labib's electoral success demonstrates that a candidate's personal appeal, proximity to grassroots constituencies, and community-based campaign strategy can surpass the structural power of a political party in local political contestation.