This gimmick needs a refresh
Doomscroll 6.28.2026
Hello and welcome to another edition of Doomscroll, your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right! Can you believe we’re already at the end of June - or as I ALWAYS like to say - the end of Q2? I can’t either. But since next weekend is also the Greatest Holiday Of All Time AKA America’s Biggest Birthday, Doomscroll will be on hiatus. Sad! Be careful with those fireworks.
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about the biggest waste of money on a campaign. I’ll be honest: you guys humbled me. I thought for sure most of you would spend paragraphs upon paragraphs hyper-fixated on direct mail. I was wrong. I stand corrected. I is sorry. Truth be told, several of you popped into my google form to DEFEND the old-school tactic (YES, REALLY). I see the analog trend is really going strong. I respect it. I do. That said, a lot of you hated on yard signs. I don’t know…I kind of get yard signs. In fact, I *might* even go so far as to say I’m a fan. Do they win elections? No. But would I even know who Danny Ford is (don’t ask) if I hadn’t been forced to drive past millions of his yard signs in the last couple of weeks? I mean…I don’t know. Who’s to say.
Anyway, since it was an open-ended question, here are some of your comments defending DM:
To those of you that say Voter Contact mail, let me tell you that I am on an AAPC committee with some libs and they blame some of their recent losses on NOT doing mail like our side. And I myself have been swayed by mail because it stands out more than anything else. And no, I am not in the voter contact business.
Direct mail is the best use of money along with a good paid door program. And I’m saying that as someone who runs a digital firm.
Direct mail still works
Here are some comments that didn’t mention yard signs:
Broadcast!! So expensive to blanket a DMA when you could better spend and target that budget on streaming. It’s dying. It has its place on some campaigns still depending on the market. But the death rattle is rattling and the deniers are denying.
Fundraising ads or tv buys in big markets
Text messages requesting money. Overwhelmingly frustrating potential donors. I would vote for anyone who pledged to make these illegal
TV ad spending
Over staffing
Lead generation that does not require a donation. It’s a waste because you’ll never inbox.
I think the biggest waste is actually all the grifting that goes on. That doesn’t happen as much on the left. We have to do something about it.
Broadcast TV outside of typical viewing hours on obscure channels is something that I see a lot of campaigns waste money on. Also see way too often campaigns will put a ton of effort into setting up for an event on AV, space rental, etc., and put zero effort/money into crowd building for the event.
No first party audience targeting, CPMs too high (non-skip) for the content with the lack of audience targeting, and the general whack-a-mole of publishers you’ll to exclude, plus the horrendous long tail of content you are running on. YT has a place in media plans but when you exclude YTTV you have to look at the content you are running on without the 1st party OR even retargeting capabilities.
To quote John Wanamaker: “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” Sadly that hasn’t changed much even though we can now target far more effectively.
Ok, this week’s One Question is in a similar vein and it’s this: What’s the biggest problem facing political texting right now? It’s still a great tactic (duh), but it’s no silver bullet. And depending on who you ask, it’s also become one of the most polarizing tactics in politics.
Is the problem that campaigns send too many texts? That voters are getting numb to them? That regulators are circling? That bad actors are poisoning the well for everyone else? Diminishing returns? Or is the world of political texting totally fine? You tell me!
The above quote comes from a guy named Carlos Odio, who’s the co-founder of a political data firm called Equis Research. He was quoted in a CBS News article this week about how crucial Latino voters will be in the 2026 Midterms. In Texas in 2024, for example, 54% of Latino voters went for Trump. This year may be a different story. And guess what issue they care about most? The economy, stupid! And not for nothing, but we ARE in the messaging business (sorry comms friends - it’s true!), so we need to get this right over the next 4 months. Just a thought!
—Please don’t make me be IT
The other day I got an email telling me that my payment request had been cancelled (??), my “profile sync with MAGA47” had failed (??) and I needed to review and update my “details.” A couple days later I got an email saying I needed to “approve my shipping address.” And those are the more creative examples. Usually it’s something like “help us fix our records!” or “your name is missing!” Or my most recent personal favorite: I just missed a call from Trump himself (!!) My phone! IS IT WORKING?!
I could go on. To be honest, I’m a little…tired of this gimmick, and I think it might be time for a hard refresh.
The MAGA47 failure email came from a sender called “MAGA Alerts” but it’s really some guy named Brinker Harding who’s running for Congress in Nebraska. I’ve literally never heard of him, but the absurdity of his prospecting email made me click the link (also, with a name like Brinker OF COURSE he’s from Nebraska!). His WinRed page has zero to do with some payment failure that I needed to correct. Nothing about a profile sync. Just a plea for a donation.
I don’t blame the guy (or his team!) for trying to raise a buck. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, my friends, and I understand the need to generate a “curiosity gap.” We’ve been doing it for years: “Read this ASAP!” “You won’t believe your eyes!” ::Click:: Unfortunately…those things don’t work like they used to. Enter: 2026 and the “your profile isn’t syncing OMG!” era.
All of a sudden we sound less like political campaigns trying to make the world a better place (womp, womp) and more like IT departments trying to solve a technical glitch for only the most amazing patriots. I’ll be honest with you guys: I can barely set up a google voice number. Please don’t make me pretend to be IT just to raise money.
The thing is…it’s all so short-sighted, right? I’m sure that telling people there’s a glitch in the membership profile generates donations (ugh), but how many loyal, long-term supporters are we creating if every click comes at the expense of a little more trust? Maybe some people don’t think that’s an issue. Ok, fine. Maybe Brinker Harding is just trying to get to first base before weighing the pros and cons of this particular tactic. All I’m saying is there’s a big difference between a little mystery and…a little deception. And shouldn’t we be trying to get people to wonder WHAT happened and not WHETHER something actually happened?
Anyway, I’ll get off my soapbox now...while I wait for the next email informing me that my Patriotism Authentication Token has expired and my Freedom Firewall needs updating.
—Don’t mess with Texas
Texas Democrats held a convention in Corpus Christi this week, and “Governor Hot Wheels’” team produced a nice microsite hitting the radical left called RadicalTexas.com. I dig it. The site has everything you’d expect…along with a “live” look at Democrats in Texas featuring none other than James Talarico himself. Nice.
Gotta say, I’m loving the patriotic merch lately. Shout-outs this week go to the NRCC for the mug and Senator Kennedy for the t-shirt! Get yours here and here. I especially like the shirt. Very on-brand.
The Maine gubernatorial race is set: Republican Bobby Charles will face Democrat Hannah Pingree in November
A new Iowa Senate poll had Democrat Josh Turek leading Ashley Hinson 47 to 45%
President Trump endorsed John James in the Michigan gubernatorial race
The Club for Growth endorsed Mike Mazzei in the Oklahoma gubernatorial race
💰💵 According to analysis from the Center for American Women and Politics, only 38% of the total money donated to congressional candidates in 2026 so far came from women. Another interesting stat? Women only contributed 29% of all money donated to Republican congressional candidates so far this year. Wow.
🗣️ Meta has launched a new app called Forum - a standalone platform that’s centered around Facebook groups. Designed to be a space for deeper conversations and AI-driven answers, a the “app loads a user’s existing Facebook groups, profile, and activity after sign-in, and organizes its feeds around group conversations rather than trending content.”
📊 A new Gallup poll says only about 7% of Americans say they get news from AI. 54% get news from social media! Read more.
☹️ Interesting read about how people react more negatively to an emotional message IF they find out - or suspect - that it was written by AI. Read more.
💻 I’m fascinated by Reddit and its relevance and power online. And no, I’ve yet to use it on any campaign…but maybe we should? People trust Reddit. They use it. According to a recent blog post published by the company, 63% of “redditors say they’re more confident in decisions made based on Reddit community interactions when directly compared to other social platforms.” Also, there’s this:
Reddit is designed for decision-making because information isn’t presented in a silo, it emerges through dialogue. Across thousands of communities, people search and navigate real conversations, which often surfaces different sides of a decision as people work through it in real time.
Just saying…maybe there’s untapped potential here?
Rory McShane has an interesting piece in Campaigns and Elections about the strategy that got David Flippo the win in Nevada’s 2nd congressional district. Read it here.
NOTUS did a little write-up of the “Big Dog Strategies effect” this week after Pamela Evette lost in Tuesday’s run-off in South Carolina. Read it here. Woof.
An anonymous tipster used the gossip button this week to share that they spotted Campaign Engine folks scoping out office space in DC! Yes, it’s happening. And let this be a lesson to you all: either get those disguises ready for those building tours or be prepared to have it appear in Doomscroll! 😆
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
From the other side of the aisle:
Got a kick out of reading Kyle Tharp’s “I’m a Jon Ossoff rally truther” essay this week. Tharp writes:
Much of that hype comes from online videos featuring his perfect delivery of some real zingers in front of cheering crowds at what appear to be massive campaign rallies. He’s often standing at a podium with an adoring audience framed behind him, the camera below him, the lighting just right. These videos have racked up millions of views across social media platforms over the past year, and they give off the look and feel of a final get-out-the-vote rally for a presidential campaign.
But what if they aren’t real?
Indeed. You should read the whole thing. I’m generally with Kyle in his analysis: The discipline is extraordinary. But eventually? People will get bored of the always-perfect, always-on candidate. Also, Kyle isn’t the only one calling Ossoff out on this!
From the other side of the tracks:
Fitting for this week: A round-up of some of the best patriotic packaging for America 250! See ‘em here.
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