Clobbered and Smoked
Doomscroll 10.20.2024
Hello and welcome to another edition of Doomscroll - your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right! To everyone (me, it’s me) who’s ready for this election to be over (yes), I’m here (in spirit) for you. And now, let’s get to some scrolling!
This week’s Doomscroll is sponsored by BallotBrain!
If you haven’t checked them out yet, don’t wait! Scroll down for a Q&A with founder Jon Jackson!
One Question
Thanks to all 12 of you who answered last week’s One Question about relational organizing. It’s clear this is not something our side, at large, is concerned with (she says through gritted teeth). I’m tempted to send all of you to your rooms and threaten that we’ll talk about this later when our dad gets home. But for the sake of my sanity, I’ll move on. For now.
This week’s One Question is about Q3 fundraising totals. Sorry, folks, but it has to be done. We’ve all seen the headlines this week. Republicans got clobbered and smoked. “Democrats dominate…”. “House GOP loses key fundraising advantage”. The Democrats’ fundraising “dwarfed” ours…Am I trying to be a Negative Nancy here? No. Do I want answers? Heck to the yes. That’s where you all come in! I don’t want to point fingers, but I would like your theories. Why are we losing the fundraising battle? I know I’ve opined on this a lot lately; I’ve probably even asked this exact question before. But now that we’re in the 11th hour of the 2024 election cycle, I’m curious, once again, to get your takes. The hotter the better.
P.S. I don’t usually read this particular column in Vox, but for some reason it crossed my desk this week. The question-writer makes an interesting point about wanting to receive texts from candidates that actually talk about what they would do if elected, what their policy positions are, etc etc. We should do more of that. Just food for thought.
Who’s Doing What
—The hap’s in Alaska
Ok yes, I’ve definitely been sleeping on the Alaska Congressional race between Mary Peltola and Nick Begich. Apparently, THAT’S been a mistake. It’s a deep red district currently represented by a Democrat (Peltola, who by the way, has one of the best campaign websites I’ve ever seen). The race seems to be pretty tight, although Peltola has drastically outraised Begich (SHOCKER), but let’s take a look at Begich’s digital presence. I’m giving his website a solid A. The colors are nice, the logo is snazzy, and because I’m me - I love that he’s bot merch and an issues section (although he calls it “solutions”). Honestly, there’s nothing really I can see to critique! If anything, I’d add a form closer to the top for people to sign up to be on “Team Nick”. Right now, the site doesn’t have an easy or obvious way to gather emails or phone numbers. On Facebook, he’s running a 30-second spot on protecting Social Security, and another one with a mom who lost her son to fentanyl. He’s also hitting Peltola for supporting sex change surgeries for minors. All in all, seems like Begich is running a tight ship, so whoever is doing his digital - kudos.
—Like this post!
Ok, so maybe it’s a problem that I got this ad and I don’t live in North Carolina…BUT I still really like it. And even though I know it’s been around since the dawn of Twitter ads, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this type of ad unit in the wild. Not sure what that says about me?
—Speaking of Trump ads…
This one is pretty lit. It’s the perfect closing argument, if you ask me. Whoever made it - A++
—All of the hand-wringing
Apparently, Elon Musk is funding the “most cynical” Super PAC of the 2024 election cycle. LMAO. According to some journos at HuffPost, Future Coalition PAC is the worst thing in the world because it’s running ads designed to drive a wedge between the Harris campaign and Arab American and Jewish voters…AT THE SAME TIME. (gasp). You can see the ads in the Google ad library here.
To my Dem buddies: Spare me the outrage. This is normal campaign stuff and it isn’t any more cynical than when you all started spending millions to prop up far-right MAGA candidates around the country because you thought they’d be easier to beat.
Who’s Spending Where
P2P
Today’s text shout-out goes to Trump National Committee JFC for no other reason than the copy was intriguing enough for me - who does this for a living - to click on the link and find out how they were going to turn “don’t give” into “OMG PLEASE GIVE”. Although I will say if you’re going to ask for $5, maybe include a $5 donation button on the WinRed page! Overall though, nice text.
This week’s Doomscroll is sponsored by BallotBrain! Keep reading for a great Q&A from founder Jon Jackson!
First off, who are you and what do you do?
I’m Jon Jackson, Founder & CEO of BallotBrain. I’ve held various roles in the campaign world, from canvassing and phone-banking during college to analyzing data for Rep. Stephanie Bice (OK-5) in 2020 and Gov. Greg Abbott (TX) in 2022. I also spent time at WPA Intelligence, working in polling and data analytics.
Ok that was easy! For those who are unfamiliar, explain what BallotBrain is - and why you decided there was a need for it on our side of the aisle!
BallotBrain’s mission is to bring custom Large Language Models (LLMs) to every conservative campaign and cause, ensuring that communication is tailored specifically to each voter, donor, or volunteer. Currently, we offer a robust, US-based texting platform, but we have ambitious plans beyond 2024.
Republican operatives excel at execution, but Democrats have leveraged highly technical software engineers who are also political activists, backed by plentiful venture capital. This ecosystem allows them to rapidly test and adopt new technologies. BallotBrain merges the spirit of tech innovation with a get-the-job-DONE mindset, empowering strategists to embrace new tools with fewer migraines.
I’ve spilled a lot of ink in Doomscroll lately about voter frustrations with getting so many political text messages…you must have thoughts! This might be a loaded question, but is there a way to utilize emerging tech to solve this voter fatigue problem?
Definitely a loaded question, but here’s the short version: campaigns often overlook the importance of defining their goals with each text. If you’re spamming voters with meaningless content and not building a genuine connection, it’s no wonder people get frustrated. But texting, when done right, is still a reliable tool for engaging constituents on specific issues, conducting quick straw polls, or managing GOTV efforts. Emerging tech, like what we’re developing at BallotBrain, can help by ensuring messages are personalized, thoughtful, and purposeful—essentially solving that "spam" issue before it starts.
What are 1-2 things you’d want to share with campaigns in this final stretch when it comes to their texting strategies?
First, refine your list. Make sure you're targeting the right people with the right message at the right time. Remove those who’ve already voted, and always honor opt-outs. With BallotBrain, opt-outs are managed automatically, and our upcoming sentiment analysis tool will provide even greater control over communication frequency through smarter segmentation.
Second, shake up your content. If you're only sending fundraising appeals, you're missing the chance to build a real connection. Think of it like Netflix suggesting something totally unexpected that grabs your attention. Mix in content that engages voters on different levels. Texting should be dynamic, not just a constant ask for donations.
Oh, and don’t forget to replenish your electrolytes.
What does the future look like for BallotBrain after the 2024 cycle? Anything you can share with Doomscroll readers about what’s up ahead?
Our future is all about making campaigns/causes smarter and faster. BallotBrain is laser-focused on turning campaigns into data-driven machines, where real-time data, rapid A/B testing, and automation take center stage. We’re going to automate the tedious tasks so strategists can focus on what really matters—making winning decisions. By giving GCs better insights and tools, we’re positioning conservatives to innovate and outpace the competition.
If you’re a top-tier strategist looking to partner with us, I’d love to connect.
Thank you, Jon!
Industry Watch
Some quick hits this week.
TikTok knew it was hurting kids. Read.
I liked this piece in WaPo about how Instagram suppresses posts that contain the word “vote.” A snippet:
Mrs. Frazzled, whose real name is Arielle Fodor, let me inside her Instagram account to investigate. I found that whenever she mentioned anything related to politics over the last six months, the size of her audience declined about 40 percent compared with her nonpolitical posts.
It appears she can’t even say “vote.” When she used the word in a caption across 11 posts, her average audience was 63 percent smaller. “It is very disempowering,” Fodor says.
For those on the creative side: Photoshop’s new AI tools look really cool. The Verge has details.
2024 Watch
This is where I make note of a few other things that caught my eye this week.
The pro-Ted Cruz Truth and Courage PAC has a new ad hitting Colin Allred for taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries. Watch it here.
Larry Hogan’s new ad is super. Watch it here.
Marsha Blackburn has a new ad about China. More plate-smashing! Watch it here.
Now we know: Elon has given America PAC a cool $75 million. Read more about it here.
Senate Democrat candidates out-raised their Republican counterparts, and it wasn’t even close. Read more here. Like wtf.
And oh yeah, House Democrat candidates “smoked” their Republican counterparts too. Read more about how the right is getting “clobbered” and “smoked”.
Mark your calendars for a town hall on 10/24 with JD Vance with News Nation’s Chris Cuomo.
The Grapevine
Mark Halperin said on Tucker’s show this week that a Trump victory will spur the largest mental health crisis our country has ever seen. Oh boy.
If you haven’t already, check out Trump National Committee JFC’s operating expenditures. (Hey Launchpad - can I get $5?)
Congrats, Frontline Strategies!
According to the Daily Beast, Chris LaCivita is becoming a gazillionaire.
Q3 Fundraising totals in Committee Land were, uh, interesting this week. The NRSC raised $28.6M, while the NRCC raised $11.1M. Woof. The disparity. Look, you don’t have to tell me that even the most competitive House races aren’t getting the attention they deserve this cycle, but blah. We need to figure this out.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is reportedly super interested in chairing the NRSC next cycle. Makes sense. He’s got star power and has the ability to fundraise.
One final note here while we’re on the topic: 2025 is knocking so get your pitch decks ready! Yes, I’m already going there, and yes this is what I think about at 3 AM when I’m burping a nearly 5-month-old baby with, uh, sleep challenges. 🤡With fundraising basically down across the board (gah, those headlines!), general industry turmoil, lack of digital ad spending this cycle…I’m predicting a vendor shake-up next year - the likes of which we haven’t seen in a while. But before you frantically slide into my DM’s, no, I have no insider knowledge (this is the gossip section, after all). Just looking out for all my peeps! xoxo
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
Anyone else read this piece in The Current about Priorities USA? Here’s a snippet I found interesting:
Within its digital-only strategy, Priorities is making behavioral and contextual targeting the building blocks of its path to success. As more campaigns evolve from the historical use of voter-file targeting, Butterfield believes campaigns are leaving votes on the table by not using more-advanced methods.
There are thousands of options to serve a potential voter based off what their interests are, from music to gaming to cooking. These options dive deeper than the traditional name, age, race and ZIP code within a voter-file profile. Even for ZIP code targeting, those that have a high percentage of Black or Latino voters can be oversaturated with ads, according to Butterfield. She is quick to say that only targeting those areas could lead them to miss out on potential voters in under-indexed areas. Finding those under-indexed voters is the bread and butter of Priorities USA’s strategy.
“We are really laser focused on how to get off of voter-file targeting and off of strictly geographic targeting and on to behavioral [and] contextual targeting, which we believe is the future in the present of targeting,” Butterfield says.
From the other side of the tracks:
Ok, I thought this was a GREAT interview in AdExchanger with the CMO of GoGo squeeZ, which makes kid-friendly apple sauce, fruit and veggie pouches (IYKYK). The company is trying to take away the stigma of parents also enjoying their products by marketing to an older audience. TL:DR - they’re not advertising on TV - just digital - to seek out new customers. Give it a read.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!