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NATIONAL VIETNAM WAR VETERANS DAY – March 29




THE CAMPAIGN








RNC Rakes In Cash in February Thanks to Expensive Fundraising Push
The Republican National Committee pulled in a huge haul last month, raising $14.6 million, the vast majority of which, nearly $9 million, came from donors who gave less than $200, according to a new FEC filing.

It was the RNC’s best February for fundraising since 2004, and its best election off-year February ever.

The committee’s net income for the month, while still significant, was far smaller—at just $2.3 million, indicating that the RNC is pouring money into fundraising early in the cycle in the hopes of building a self-sustaining finance infrastructure heading into President Trump’s re-election contest. Simply put, in February, the RNC spent a lot of money to make a lot of money.

The committee reported paying $3 million to Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale’s digital firm for “fundraising services.” It spent nearly $4 million on direct-mail-related expenses such as postage and mail production, about $750,000 on telemarketing, $180,000 on acquiring email lists, and $113,000 buying “mementos” for donors. All told, that’s about $8 million, or more than half of the committee’s actual fundraising haul.

It’s a high cost for donor acquisition in the near term, but the RNC and the Trump campaign likely hope that this push to raise early small-dollar donations will establish a baseline of grassroots financial support going forward, particularly in the form of recurring contributions.

A product of this strategy has been the explosion of early Trump campaign Facebook ads noted this week by Axios, which reported that the campaign has spent more advertising on the social-media platform than all potential Democratic challengers combined.

There are plenty of deep pockets on the other side, though, and they’re going after the precise demographics that the RNC and the Trump campaign likely hope will provide the grassroots support it needs. On Thursday, Democratic super PAC American Bridge announced a $50 million paid-advertising campaign targeting Trump’s “core supporters”: white working-class voters in the Midwest. And the day before, Priorities USA, another Democratic super PAC,unveiled a $100 million campaign aimed at just Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. [Pay Dirt, March 21, 2019]



PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Beto O’Rourke campaigned for the first time in New Hampshire this week, and the first-in-the-nation primary hasn’t seen anything like it. In less than 48 hours, O’Rourke held at least 10 events and took hundreds of questions from fans, critics, and the media.
When most candidates or potential candidates come to Iowa or New Hampshire, they typically make a couple stops at either a big party dinner, college campus, political rally or house party. Not Beto: His style, much like how he campaigned for Senate in Texas, is akin to political flash mob.
Through email and social media, the campaign announces they are showing up at a small restaurant or a student union. There are no volunteers directing people where to go or how to sign up as supporters. Rarely does a local pol introduce O’Rourke, and the campaign doesn’t play campaign theme music to pump up the crowd. There’s no campaign signs or podiums. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the candidate has been known to jump on a table to talk to the crowd.
It’s the most modern and old-fashioned New Hampshire campaign all at the same time. Here are four takeaways from O’Rourke’s visit to the state this week:

The campaign’s social media savvy is unprecedented

This cycle, campaign operations are on the prowl for digital content with the candidate aimed at a viral moment that can bring in low dollar contributions. For example, Senator Cory Booker will happily woo local activists in a private meeting, but he’d much prefer they post video about their meeting to their social media feeds.
Now consider how O’Rourke constructed his public events in New Hampshire: Each stop is intended to be three social media events in one.
In Portsmouth and Manchester on Thursday, O’Rourke picked small, popular restaurantsdowntown and near a parking garage. Even though 100 people showed up to both events — about the same crowd size as for other candidates at similar stops— there wasn’t enough room to let everyone inside.
Outside, O’Rourke gave roughly five minutes of remarks — just long enough for everyone to whip out their phones and take a picture of him, displaying a moment that appeared buzzworthy and like he was on the hustings. When O’Rourke went inside for a longer speech and question session, the different — yet still informal — backdrop provided another opportunity for social media photos.
Finally, it’s time for selfies. Other candidates, like Senators Elizabeth Warren, are also pros at reserving time for such shots with supporters. But with O’Rourke, the selfie line feels like the main event. In Portsmouth the line was organized quickly by staff and stretched past the full length of the building outside.

 

His arrival is part-Obama, part-Trump

No doubt about it: O’Rourke is a celebrity. A group of high school girls in Manchester told me that they skipped school and created handmade signs to meet the pop star, er, former congressman and one-time El Paso councilman.
The buzz surrounding his first trip to New Hampshire resembled those of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. People wanted to see the celebrity — and, as a result, guests appear more interested in getting a picture with O’Rourke and watching him speak, perhaps more than listening to what he said.
In Manchester, the flash mob basically shut down a one-way street for several minutes. The last time a candidate shut down a New Hampshire street like that this early in the primary? Donald Trump. [Ground Game, March 22, 2019]



2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES










BANNON






DEMOCRATIC PARTY




Bill de Blasio Is New York's Least Favorite Democratic Presidential Hopeful

BY JAMES RAMSAY

In a Quinnipiac poll released this morning, Mayor de Blasio fared the worst among every name in the survey. Only 36 percent of New York City voters approve of de Blasio, while 48 percent view him unfavorably. Statewide, those numbers are 24 and 49, respectively.

That's the lowest his net favorability rating has been since he took office in 2014.

And yet, he's still planning a trip to South Carolina.
Amid trips to early primary states, Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray managed to work in a visit to Florida for the Boston Red Sox's Spring Training. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

For context, New Yorkers didn't give a positive approval rating to any major local politicians. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has her worst ever net favorability score (29-35). Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also in the red (42-45). And even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, fresh off her coronation as the "top villain" in the Amazon debacle, has a negative rating (31-38).

There's a unique mismatch, however, between de Blasio's ambition and how he's been received. Sen. Gillibrand, for example, kicked off this week with an MSNBC town hall that reportedly drew over a million viewers. De Blasio just hosted a panel in New Hampshire and six non-journalists came to see it.

The mayor recently said that "every day I have New Yorkers come up and talk about different things that the administration is doing that they like, and plenty of people urge me on for the future." And a few anonymous Democrats told the New Republic that de Blasio was ahead of the curve in making income inequality his signature issue. One unnamed person said "it's Bill de Blasio’s Democratic Party in 2020."

But if de Blasio was ahead of his time when he ran on the "Tale of Two Cities" platform, he's now living in the present like the rest of New York City. And the present, for many people, brings to mind three things: Crummy subways (which the governor controls), the decay of public housing, and a lingering gap between the haves and have-nots.

It's unclear if de Blasio will still run for president, given the state of things. But as of now, he's facing a tough challenger in another yet-to-declare candidate: Joe Biden, who tops the list of New York's favorite Democrats with a 62-24 percent favorability rating. [Politics Brief, March 21, 2019]



THE VOTE




via GIPH                                              
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