Your Halftime Entertainment
Doomscroll 2.8.2026
Hello and welcome to another edition of Doomscroll - your favorite newsletter covering all things digital on the right and tonight? Your bestest halftime entertainment! Let’s get to some scrolling before Bad Bunny gets off the stage.
Today’s edition of Doomscroll is sponsored by RumbleUp - thank you, RumbleUp!
Thanks to everyone who answered last week’s One Question about whether or not you’re worried about Republicans lagging behind the Dems in online fundraising. ⅔ of you said you are not worried. ⅓ said that you are. Interesting.
Here’s what one of the people who voted no had to say:
This "No" assumes that the Trump/GOP hierarchy will go nuclear and provide in-your-face black-and-white contrasts with the Democrats -- 1) the Democrat-inspired Somali fraud scandal in MN, the largest welfare-fraud scandal in US history; 2) the criminal-terrorist ICE protesters funded by Soros et al -- which is the problem, not ICE, which is doing its job, enforcing the law, and protecting the public; 3) remind the public what the Biden-Pelosi regime was all about; and 4) morph the leading Democrats into a single monster who want to obliterate your rights --and maybe your life. If the Trump/GOP/Maga-world does not go nuclear, we will lose. We might anyway given or slim US House margin, and the history that the average mid-term loss for the incumbent party is 27 seats -- even though the GOP should gain, pre-election, about 20 seats with redistricting, a redone Census, and the Louisiana SCOTUS case that is set to gut the Voting Rights Act from which leftwing judges created "majority-minority" districts out of whole cloth. Yet, better to go down fighting.
Alright, BUCKLE UP, BUTTERCUPS. This week’s One Question is about the @KamalaHQ rebrand. On the one hand, pivoting a social media account post-Election Day is a no-brainer in a lot of ways, and I wish more campaigns did this! Seriously. So just from a tactical standpoint, I can get on board with this. No shade.
But they lose me with the constant juvenile dunking. The relentless “hello fellow youths” energy. Why are we still doing this? Did 2024 teach Team Kamala absolutely nothing? At this point it feels like we’re all trapped in a never-ending side quest to win Gen Z’s approval via memes, vibes, and ironic detachment, and I’m not convinced anyone’s actually winning. Campaigns certainly aren’t. Which brings me to the sideshow drama-fest I witnessed among some Dems on X on Thursday.
It started when some poor soul named Stefanie Feldman, who was Biden’s 2020 Policy Director, asked a pointed question: How is this getting us votes, exactly? STEFANIE, YOU POOR, POOR THING. Don’t you know the likes are the point??
Then the pile-on, started by our Lord and Savior Rob Flaherty, commenced. Look, I don’t know this Stefanie chick, but she seems pleasant enough and also her question is a good one? Like, yeah we do digital, but to what end? To win elections, right? I feel like I was taught that on Campaigning 101 Day in school. I understand performing for the base does mean something. I’m not anti-meme. But it’s not totally out of line to say “hey guys, how are we measuring success here?” How are we turning online action into offline behavior? Oh wait, SORRY I ASKED.
So anyway, here’s this week’s One Question. It’s a poll, really. Are you Team Stefanie or Team Rob? Do digital teams need to measure mobilization and persuasion or is that not a serious question?
P.S. Also FWIW, I agree with almost every single word of this, even though it’s from the CDO of Majority Dems. Here’s one snippet I’ll pull, but you really should read all of it:
Digital directors need a seat at the table: on consultant calls, in polling conversations, in focus groups. Digital should not report to comms. I can’t believe I have to say that in 2026, but if you’re joining a campaign structured that way, be wary. The digital directors of today are the campaign managers of tomorrow and right now, I can count on one hand the individuals in our orbit that applies to. That’s the problem. If we’re serious about winning, we need to be building a bench of digital leaders who can make these judgment calls thoughtfully.
The above quote is from President Trump, in an answer he gave to reporters on Air Force One about the video his account posted on Truth Social that depicted racist imagery of the Obama’s. Look, I don’t have much to add to this whole embarrassing saga except obviously whoever posted it should be relieved of their duties. Yes, fired. I don’t care how that sounds. When you’re given the keys to the social media account for the President of the United States, you have a duty to take that seriously, and I want this person canned ASAP. Another tidbit I got from reporting on this is that the video originated from some website called Patriot News Outlet (can you see my eyes rolling into the back of my head?). When I went to check out said site, it had been made private Shocking.
Anyway, this whole episode is ridiculous and pathetic. Just a thought.
—A heads-scratcher of an ad
This week, the Georgia gubernatorial race got a new entrant: billionaire Rick Jackson. To be honest, I’d never heard of him until now, but his entrance made…quite the splash - complete with his own glass elevator. For starters, he launched right out of the gate with an ad attacking Brad Raffensperger - calling him Judas. I have to say, I do not like this ad. At all. I could barely get through it, tbh. I get the argument he’s making (I guess), but the mom part of my brain can’t stand watching an ad that depicts someone being that mean to her son. I have a hard time seeing how this will go over well with the suburban women out there, but then again I ain’t no pollster so what do I know (ha!). The fact that it’s so horrible though, maybe means it’ll stick. Maybe. Although why he’d want this to stick is beyond me.
His announcement video, on the other hand, is much better. If I were him, I’d stick to the bio pieces for a while. He’s got a compelling backstory - use it! Anyway, he seems to have a really solid digital presence for someone who kind of came out of nowhere. He has a Team Jackson X account (nice), he’s not afraid to clap back at the Dems (love) and his website ain’t bad either. Side note: His donate button links to PSQ Impact, which is interesting. Something tells me this guy would be formidable even if he didn’t have a gazillion dollars to spend. Aside from that ad I really don’t like, he seems to be dotting all his i’s and crossing all his t’s. And sometimes - that’s a lot better than most!
—Kudos to Crane
Let’s give it up to Eli Crane for being the top House recipient of contributions on WinRed - outside of leadership! Based on Crane’s undeniable success, it’s probably worth taking a look at his fundraising program - to the extent that we can. I’ll be honest: There’s not a lot for me to go through. I don’t think I was on his house file (I am now), and the prospecting emails and texts I’ve gotten from him are few and far between (which maybe confirms my theory that I’ve been removed from a bunch of lists…) Regardless, I even did a search of the Doomscroll archives and came across only one time that I called him out for sending a text that said “not asking for money,” that then linked to a donation page that…asked for money. LMAO. Here’s the thing though. Yes, it looks like he’s not afraid to wade into controversial topics. Yes, he’s got good copy. But more than that? He’s not operating in a fundraising silo (says someone who’s simply observing from a distance).
One of my pet peeves (if you can call it that) about online fundraising is how often digital teams are put in a basement (literally) and expected to magically raise money. Whether you’re working with a vendor or a team in-house, they need a seat at the table. They need insight into what the political team is discussing, what the comms team is planning, how the candidate is thinking, etc. When I polled my very MAGA, online, 65-year old dad about Eli Crane this week his first response was about how much he loves that guy. He sees him on Steve Bannon’s War Room (I know, I know), across other shows on Real America’s Voice, and used to watch his appearances on the Charlie Kirk Show. He’s very active on X and Facebook. My point is: He’s built a following with the base that translates into fundraising success. I know that’s not easy to do, but to the extent that any of us - or our clients - can replicate it, I would say this: There’s a balance between being super MAGA to energize the base but also sane enough to be taken seriously. Find it. And then push it 24/7. You can’t fundraise in a vacuum and if your candidate isn’t getting out there, you’re going to have problems. This MIGHT be a time to ::gulp:: reach out to your counterparts in the comms shop and see how you can collaborate!
Anyway, from what I can tell, Crane’s stuff isn’t that scammy or alarmist. I can’t find anything that makes me feel like he’s trying to trick people, which is what I expected, tbh. A lot of his content relies on his bio and heavily leans into the idea that he’s anti-establishment and is willing to call out his own side. I couldn’t find anything about him promising tariff checks - only a poll asking people if they wanted tariff revenue to be spent on rebate checks or to pay down the national debt. No problem there. It also helps that the Dems are constantly targeting his seat. It looks like Targeted Victory is his fundraising vendor (hi, guys!) so who knows how much of what he raises is from revshares or a solid house file. That said, with numbers like these - it’s not likely that he cares.
—Are contests back in?
I haven’t seen a lot of contest-type fundraising content lately, until an email from Minnesota Senate candidate Michele Tafoya came across my desk. Her message says that for any size donation, you can claim your spot for a Super Bowl pre-game analysis event. I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but the WinRed page references a “call,” so we’ll go with that. Hope it delivers! Either way, nice creativity here.
Texting is not one step. Know the chain. Know how to win.
Clicking send does not mean your texts gets delivered. Compliance checks, routing partners and carriers all affect successful delivery to phones.
A good texting provider (CSP) supports your messaging traffic + brand reputation through the full chain, not just on their sending platform. Does yours?
Let’s talk about Substack for a sec.
This chart from Chris Rufo caught my eye this week. Of the top 50 Substacks, only 2 (maybe 3) are conservative or right-leaning. What does this mean, if anything, for digital campaigns? I’m not really sure, to be honest, except that I’m loath to see yet another platform be so heavily adopted by the left and not by the right. Sure, when you’re not in power you’re going to flock to every platform to swell the media ecosystem with anti-Trump messaging, so this rise is mostly to be expect. But must we cede Substack to the lefties?!? I’m not saying every candidate should be on Substack, but I’m NOT saying MOST candidates shouldn’t be on Substack either, if you know what I mean. Yes, I know it’s extra work. Yes, I know the X algorithm suppresses Substack links. But in an era where we’re trying to think of new ways to get in front of voters, why not try it?
Something else Substack-related that I’ve been mulling over is whether it could be an online revenue source. Take Brian Bengs - a Dem who’s running for Senate in South Dakota. He solicits campaign donations in his posts (Take a look here). Ryan Busse, a Dem who’s running for Congress against Ryan Zinke in Montana, uses his Substack to talk about his campaign, and includes buttons asking for readers to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Are paid subscriptions tantamount to a campaign donation? Dunno. If you’re a campaign lawyer and you’re reading this, HMU and shed some light: itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Either way…let’s try Substack maybe? I did a test with a candidate last year and thought it went really well, FWIW.
Pres. Trump endorsed John Sununu in the New Hampshire Senate race
Dan Cox is going to run again or governor in Maryland
Per Punchbowl News, at least 20 GOP House incumbents trailed their Dem challengers in fundraising last quarter. Blah.
Republicans are now on TikTok…
Massachusetts GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve posted a video on Instagram using an AI-generated voice of Gov. Maura Healey
Pres. Trump endorsed Clay Fuller in the race to replace MTG in Georgia’s 14th congressional district. (Some of you may recall that a couple weeks ago, I wrote about how Fuller’s digital game seemed the “most legit”)
I know we probably all read the New York Magazine profile of Nancy Mace by now, but I’m still gonna link it here.
Here for the sniping in Texas.
Congrats to Reilly Knecht for joining Urban Legend as Director of Client Strategy
Congrats to Winning Strategy Group for 1 years in the biz
I hear Buzz360 is rolling out an action item called Calling Lists and word on the street a SwipeRed Dial App launch is imminent. Looks like some good old fashioned dialing is making a comeback in the campaign world! More to come later, I’m sure.
Some gossip:
I’m glad you mentioned psq. Can you ask your readers if they too have received multiple random slack messages from people at NPA/Launchpad basically begging us to join psq? Months ago they told us Trump is switching over. Hasn’t happened yet. We get it, psq is paying NPA, but someone over there needs to tell their employees to try not to make it so obvious.
Hmmm…anyone want to weigh in? itsthedoomscroll@gmaill.com or smash the button!
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:
Ok, I know we all have thoughts on the Talarico-Allred-Crockett kerfuffle. So what’s my hot take?
I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in the world of Democratic Party politics in Texas, but I am here for the influencer-style of campaigning. And for the drama. Don’t be surprised! I’ve been saying for a while now that it’s time for a new playbook, and influencer-style campaigns are here to stay. That said: Enter at your own risk! But here’s what this saga has taught me more than anything: it’s perhaps better for the candidate to be the influencer than to rely solely on working with influencers who are, as we know, a fickle bunch prone to flipping on a dime.
But think about the buzz Allred’s video generated this week. Maybe it was fueled by genuine outrage on his part. Maybe it was the move of a guy who’s still licking his wounds over dropping out to run for House instead of Senate. Either way, I can’t say it didn’t work. So if you’re a candidate looking to generate some buzz, maybe post a selfie video? Show you’re willing to throw punches even if it’s against someone in your own party. Reagan’s 11th commandment is a thing of the past and that’s just the way it is. I don’t hate this. Politicians are real people. For those saying “this kind of drama doesn’t belong in politics,” think again. Politics IS drama. Always has been.
From the other side of the tracks:
LMAO who can’t relate to this Squarespace Super Bowl ad??
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