Happy Sunday and welcome to another edition of Doomscroll, your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right! I want to take a quick second to mention the plane crash at Reagan National Airport. This tragedy shook me to my core - as I’m sure it did for many of you. My thoughts and prayers have been and will continue to be, with the victims’ families during their time of grief.
One more thing before I move on and we get to some doomscrolling: If you haven’t watched this conversation between Stephen Colbert and Anderson Cooper about grief, I’d encourage you to find 20 minutes to do so. And remember: It’s a gift to exist. 🌟
One Question
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question with some podcast and book recommendations!
In Depth with Graham Bensinger
Acquired
Under the Influence
Great Battlefield
Honestly
Prof G
Ruthless
The Daily
The Fifth Column
And then someone said “just fantasy football.” Mmmmk. For book recs, we’ve got:
Im reading the original Godfather. If you’ve never read it but love the movies - definitely get it.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,
Main Street Millionaire,
The Bitcoin standard
GO BIG – The Marketing “Secrets” of Richard A. Viguerie. a great book from the “funding father” of the conservative movement
This week’s One Question is about the “new media” seat in the White House briefing room. On Friday, John Ashbrook from the Ruthless podcast got to sit in the seat and - GASP - ask Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt a question. The left went nuts. And by “left,” of course I mean progressives on Twitter and members of the mainstream media. How dare the White House promote a far-right podcast! Argh! (I guarantee no one would be complaining if it was a Democrat Administration and Harry Sisson was sitting in that seat instead of Ashbrook. Am I right?)
Look, we all know one of the big Lessons Learned from 2024 was the need for Republican candidates to go to non-traditional media outlets and platforms for exposure. I’m the first to acknowledge it ain’t easy, but it’s a must. Ruthless has been a great go-to for Republicans and I give the fellas enormous credit for that - which is why I love this new media seat so much! Candidates need to leverage programs like Ruthless - and other non-traditional outlets - as much as possible. And in turn, these outlets deserve the chance to sit at the table with the big dogs. Which brings us back to our One Question: Who do YOU want to see in that seat in the weeks/months ahead?
One Quote
One Thought
Zuckerberg reportedly made the above comment during a company-wide meeting this week. I, for one, am very curious about what a “productive partnership” between Facebook and this Trump Administration 2.0 will continue to look like. As I’ve said before: I’m not surprised Zuckerberg is looking to play nice for the next four years. And whatever his motives are (I could spend the next 12 Doomscroll editions just speculating on that!) I still think the policy changes he’s announced in the last few weeks are a good thing. Whether he’s making them because he truly has had a change of heart, or he’s just reading the room and trying to curry favor with the party now in power…who knows? But it’s a start. Let’s give this new era a chance.
Just a thought!
Who’s Doing What
—”Sane Conservatism”
I don’t write about the conservative media ecosystem that much, but when a conservative publication gets written about in AdWeek, I drop what I’m doing and sit up straight. Apparently The Dispatch, which is carving out a lane it calls “sane conservatism,” sees the Trump era as a prime opportunity to ramp up its advertising business. Here’s what stood out to me:
In January, it named media entrepreneur Michael Rothman as its first president. In addition to helping fine-tune its subscription funnel, Rothman will be tasked with finding ways to expand the surface area available to interested sponsors without disturbing its subscription model. “If you look at Edelman trust data, you see that there is pressure from shareholders for companies to diversify and be more balanced,” Rothman said. “So The Dispatch, on one level, solves that for marketers by providing a brand-safe environment that reaches a center-right audience.”
…
According to Rothman, the publication appeals to two broad demographics: executive decision-makers across the country—lawyers in Des Moines, for instance—and political hounds along the Acela corridor.
On a psychographic level, what unites Dispatch readers more than political credo is a hunger for independent inquiry. Its readers are more persuadable as a result, according to Rothman, making them a desirable target for advertisers.
Hmmmm. “Brand-safe environment” is becoming quite the buzz word these days. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting read. I don’t often think about the advertising business from the supply side - and I should!
—Southern (Dis)comfort
Ok I’ll be honest. I don’t love that I’m once again writing about Nancy Mace. But I can’t ignore the insanity that is her social media feed right now. Mace has yet to formally announce her candidacy for governor. Neither has anyone else, for that matter, and yet she’s all over social attacking her prospective opponents: Attorney General Alan Wilson and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette. I honestly can’t think of any other politician do this. Her attacks have been nonstop this week, and….dare I say…a little viscous.
In this video, she calls both Evette and Wilson “empty suits”
She made a pretty bad meme accusing Wilson of offending women because he…put on a pink tie at a press conference.
She insinuated on Twitter that Wilson is pro-child sex trafficking.
She blasted Wilson for attending Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing (right after tweeting that he wants to stop Patel from exposing sex trafficking?!?).
She said in another video that Lt. Governor Evette “doesn’t have an original idea” and has “no vigor, no fight.” Never mind that Evette is an entrepreneur and very successful business owner.
If the strategy here is to scare Wilson and Evette from entering the race, I really don’t think it’s going to work. From a digital standpoint, I’m also not sure this is a smart strategy. Yes, I’ve praised Mace’s social media presence in the past - and will continue to do so when it’s warranted. Yes, I know politics is a dirty business. Yes, I know South Carolina primary fights are especially ugly. But this week, Mace crossed the line from genuine authenticity (good!) to being a bully on social media (bad!). That’s my two cents. The internet lives forever, and I think these posts will backfire on her.
—White House puts Selena in a corner
The speed with which the White House spun out this video in response to Selena Gomez’s viral crying post (I don’t know what else to call it?!) is really quite something. Kudos!!
—Breaking It Down
Speaking of good content, I like this explainer video from Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, in which he talks about the Senate’s confirmation process. This is good stuff. I’m loving the content I’m seeing lately from Republican lawmakers!
Merch Shout-Out
You guys! We’re so back! Raise your hand if you love merch as much as I do? This week’s shout-out goes to the NRCC for its Gulf of America t-shirt. It’s so cheesy in the best way possible. Get yours today!
Who’s Spending Where
P2P
This week’s text shout-out goes to the NRSC. As far as “gimmicky” texts go, this is a pretty good one. It id’s the sender and includes opt-out language. AND it’s not over-the-top. I like this one.
Industry Watch
Some quick hits:
🖥️ Microsoft could be in talks to buy TikTok? Read more about it here.
🤳 Helpful: Get the updated Instagram image dimensions here.
📺 Good read: Buyers are still frustrated by CTV’s transparency problem. No kidding. Read about it in AdExchange here.
💰 PepsiCo has promised to not censor conservative ad platforms or inventory. Gee, thanks! Read about it here.
🏫 Pinterest’s CEO is pro-taking cellphones out of classrooms. Cool. Read more here.
💡 So…should we all be testing Trial Reels?? Maybe. Read why here.
2025-2026 Watch
NRSC Chair Tim Scott is reportedly recruiting Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to run for Senate in 2026.
Vivek has a huge lead already in the Ohio gubernatorial race… although it ain’t over until the fat lady sings, am I right?
Mike Rogers will, once again, run for Senate in Michigan.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox is exploring a run for governor.
Michigan State Sen. Peter Durant is thinking about running for governor in 2026.
The Grapevine
Direct Persuasion is hiring!
So is AdVictory! See here.
Congrats to Mike Young for being named partner at FP1!
Speaking of Mike Young, he talked to Campaigns & Elections recently about the Trump campaign’s field program. Check it out here. It also got me thinking about how campaigns can leverage their field and digital programs together. Lots of opportunities there…something to keep in mind as we move into another election cycle!
Mark Robinson is, uh, dropping his lawsuit against CNN and swearing up and down he’s never, ever running for political office again. See his thread on X.
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:
First up: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the top political ad spender on Facebook this past week, at $293,000. Her ads are all fundraising appeals, asking people to donate to fight Trump’s “authoritarian regime.” In AOC’s world, maybe the resistance is still alive and well?
Second: Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff is already fundraising off a potential challenge from Gov. Brian Kemp!
From the other side of the tracks:
My favorite movie of all time is You’ve Got Mail. My second favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally. So even though I’m a Duke’s loyalist, I can’t NOT mention this Hellman’s Super Bowl commercial:
The nostalgia. The creativity. Love seeing those things in the corporate marketing world, but we need more of it in politics!
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!