Last Minute Fundraising Tactics, Top 10 Presidential Campaign Movies, Using Fundraising for GOTV, Don't Fall for this Analysis
Inside: How to raise last minute dollars down-ballot, the best movies about presidential campaigns, the GOTV opportunity you shouldn't miss, the laziest election analysis.
1 - How to Motivate Down-Ballot Downers in the Closing Weeks
It’s tough for down-ballot campaigns to get heard over the noise of much larger races, and that’s especially true this year. So what can smaller campaigns do to get people to open their wallets in the closing days of ‘24. C&E assembled two panels this week to find out.
As part of our 2024 Election Briefing Series, C&E spoke to two Republican fundraisers and two Democratic fundraisers about what’s working for their campaigns down the ballot and where fundraising teams should focus to make the most of the next few weeks.
On the Democratic side, Fiona Cahill, director of fundraising and advocacy at Assemble the Agency, and Audrey Glaser, email director at Middle Seat, emphasized the importance of being agile in the final weeks of the campaign — ensuring fundraising teams are ready to take advantage of major news events for rapid response fundraising.
On the Republican side, Carter Kidd, president at Campaign Solutions, and Liz Ring, political account director at Direct Persuasion, agreed that one of the keys for GOP campaigns in the final month is be as optimized as possible — know what’s bringing your campaign the most ROI and hone in on it.
Here are four additional things for campaigns to think about as they work to raise dollars between now and Election Day:
Read the full article and watch the panels here.
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2 - Don’t Just Fundraise – GOTV: The Missing Link to Campaign Victory
Ken Mika of Politicoin has advice for political fundraisers this time of year: don’t forget that you’re also in the business of mobilizing voters.
What is one thing we see campaigns forget that costs them victory? Forgetting to add GOTV language to their fundraising appeals.
We can look back and directly see that campaigns that continue to push strictly fundraising have a higher chance of losing. This was especially true in multiple 2022 races where no digital persuasion ads went into effect, but the campaign’s fundraising ads expanded, even out of state.
While now is one of, if not the, best times to raise money, we cannot forget that the goal of the campaign is to win.
3 - Election Night Narratives: Why the ‘One-Group’ Explanation Falls Short
Robert Moran of the Brunswick Group is tired of pundits who can be relied upon every election, this one included, to scramble to pin the results on a single voter demographic with a catchy name.
This analysis is reductionist in the extreme, overly simplistic, and misrepresents how pollsters and campaign managers think about elections. But pundits do it because (1) it’s an easy soundbite, (2) it’s simpler than an actual analysis, and (3) if they can make it stick, they will be paid to give speeches about it.
Make no mistake: every analyst who takes this intellectual shortcut knows better. But, they take it because broadcast and short-form journalism isn’t conducive to a deeper analysis. If a pundit only has ten seconds to summarize an election, they simply don’t have the time to explain how the fundamentals of the race shaped the outcome and how marginal changes in turnout and vote support impacted the result.
As Election Day approaches, you’ll read and hear pundits jockeying for their one subgroup as the explainer to the election. Some of these, like shifting Hispanic voting patterns, will have a strong element of truth. They may even be critically important voting trends over the next few decades. But remember that the key to the election was never just one group with a catchy name. The math is much more complicated than that.
Upcoming Events
Election Briefing: Getting Out the Vote in ’24: Mobilizing Supporters From Early Voting to Election Day
October 9th @ 3pm - Online
Our expert panelists will explore the current voter landscape, assess how campaigns and groups on both sides of the aisle are working to mobilize, and share best practices on engaging supporters in the final weeks.
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2024 Election Postscript Conference
December 4th | Washington, DC
An event focused on one thing: What worked and what didn’t from the top of the ballot on down in 2024. Upgrade your campaign playbook and be in the room when the 2024 cycle is put under a microscope.
2025 C&E Creative Summit
February 13th | Washington, DC
Campaigns & Elections Creative Summit brings together the top creative minds in the industry and pulls back the curtain on the techniques and processes they’re using to deliver game-changing ads for candidates and campaigns up and down the ballot.
The Top 10 Presidential Campaign Movies
I thought it would be fun to put together a list of must-watch presidential election movies. To be clear, there aren't many more than ten, but, and it's a big but, the ones on this list are really worth your time. I haven't put them in any particular order – although, just so we're all on the same page, Primary Colors is indisputably the best – but I am open to adding more if, upon viewing, they pass my super scientific test of 'did I like it'. So, without further ado, enjoy. And let me know if you have any you'd like me to consider for inclusion (sgreer@campaignsandelections.com)
Primary Colors (1998):
This comedy drama follows a Southern governor’s presidential campaign, offering a wry glimpse into the moral ambiguities of American politics. If it feels like a satire of the 1992 Clinton campaign, trust your instincts.
The Ides of March (2011):
A young, idealistic staffer thinks their charismatic candidate is the best thing since sliced bread. And if you think you have an idea about what happens next, you're probably right. A fun thriller.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962):
A former POW returns home an finds themselves an unwitting pawn in a Communist conspiracy to overthrow the American government. The 2004 remake is also worth a watch.
The Front Runner (2018):
A great dramatization of the rise and dramatic fall of then front-runner Senator Gary Hart's 1988 presidential campaign. Pair with: an election year reading of Richard Cramer's essential What It Takes.
Wag the Dog (1997):
How do you save the reelection campaign of a president who finds themselves embroiled in a sex scandal two weeks before Election Day? You tap some Holywood talent to invent a fake foreign war to distract the media. As political satire goes, this one is really enjoyable.
Game Change (2012):
Packed with wonderfully cringe-comedy moments, this dramatization of the 2008 McCain presidential campaign's 'omg what have we done' experience after picking Sarah Palin as his running mate is popcorn munchingly good.
The Best Man (1964):
Perfect for anyone who feels disappointed at being denied the high-drama of a contested convention this year, this drama follows two candidates, one principled and one ruthless as they battle for their party's nomination at a convention full of backroom deals and low skulduggery.
The War Room (1993):
The seminal political campaign documentary follows now household names George Stephanopoulos and James Carville as senior strategists in Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign for president. Pair with: Primary Colors for a Clintonian campaign double-whammy.
Recount (2008):
Hanging chads galore! This telling of Florida's infamous recount in the 2000 presidential campaign delivers the kind of high-drama you'd want from a story about the all-or-nothing fight to claim the White House.
The Candidate (1972):
No-hope candidate takes on firmly entrenched incumbent who can't possibly lose. So far, so predictable. But what makes this movie work is that it's the underdog's willingness to compromise his principles and moderate his message that ultimately takes him to victory.
What we’re reading
Inside Harris’s and Trump’s Campaign Spending (WSJ)
The Campaign’s Hottest Design Trend Is Stacked, Repetitive Typography (Yello)
Political Campaign Lawn Sign Survey (LawnStarter)
How California Politics Killed a Nationally Important AI Bill (Politico)
We Studied 19,898 Kickstarter Campaigns − and Discovered That Talking Politics Hurts Fundraising (The Conversation)
