JR Patton talks about the impact COVID-19 has on field programs.
Campaigns & Elections – December 16, 2020
Campaigns & Election – December 7, 2020
Back in June, I made the case that the total lockdowns in numerous states around the country forced us as consultants to rethink the way that we run field campaigns for the better.
For instance, it allowed our candidates, especially those in rural districts, to spend less time traveling to far-off corners of their districts to meet with the same group of 12 already committed voters that gets together every month to talk local politics.
It allowed our candidates to spend more time virtually meeting the voters where they are — mainly their homes. It allowed candidates to try and utilize newer tech tools like videoconferencing, tele-town halls, and peer-to-peer texting to connect and engage with voters across their districts. In many cases, these were voters who would have never had the chance to meet a candidate simply because they live in an un-walkable precinct or an area where Democratic turnout is so low that it’s written off from the beginning of the campaign.
Read the whole thing at: https://bit.ly/1833cecovidfield
As a Democratic fundraiser, I’m starting to worry that Republicans may finally begin caring about campaign finance reform. But any legislative attempts in this area will likely be misguided regulation of online fundraising. The reason? Republicans seem convinced that Democrats are accepting contributions from “robo-donors.”
In my almost fifteen years as a Democratic fundraiser, robo-donor is a term I’d never heard before until just a few weeks ago. I credit its origination with Ohio state Rep.-elect Gary Click. Our client, Chris Liebold, ran against the Republican, and unfortunately lost. Click complained to a local reporter that Liebold received hundreds of contributions for $1.04, $1.13, or $2.08 from “out-of-state robo-donors.”
Read the whole thing at: https://bit.ly/ce1833rd
Democrats still bullish on future McHenry County statehouse races after spending, big flipping one GOP seat
The Northwest Herald – November 23, 2020
This election showed that Democrats are chipping away at Republican margins of victory in McHenry County statehouse districts, said JR Patton, a founding partner of the 1833 Group, a Naperville-based political consulting firm that works with Democrats.
“I think it’s a multi-cycle process,” Patton said. “As a Democratic Party in Illinois, we could do a better job building the bench and preparing good candidates to run two, four, six years down the road. That’s how you close the gap. These gaps don’t get closed overnight. I think you have to have incremental change.”
Read the whole thing at: https://bit.ly/1833nwh2020
Campaign Tech at Home 2020: Reshaping Your Traditional Fundraising Plan: From Zoom Fundraisers to New Strategies for Candidate Call Time
July 7, 2020
How Covid-19 Changed Field for the Better
Published in Campaigns & Elections – June 22, 2020
I’ve been writing field plans for campaigns for the better part of a decade. It was the one part of campaigns that I thought for sure would never change — technologically speaking. You can never beat the pressing of the flesh, the working of a rope line, and meeting voters on their front stoops and porches.
But shortly before the Illinois primary in March, I noticed a change. While managing a state representative campaign just outside Chicago, I witnessed how volunteers suddenly wanted no part of knocking doors or standing outside polling places. Our field operation crumbled. We had officially entered a new normal in retail politics and I was just learning how to adapt.
Fast forward three months past the onset of COVID and the total shutdown of most of our country. Now, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves as a nation and we, as consultants, have had to adapt to our new normal. As a lifelong field operative, COVID has reshaped my thinking of campaigns — for the better. Read the whole thing at: https://bit.ly/covidfield
Democratic Fundraisers Adjust to Raising Money During a Pandemic
Published in Campaigns & Elections – June 1, 2020
On the day of the Illinois primary in March, I jokingly told a client, “you have an experienced consulting team, but if you were looking for the folks who have run a campaign during a pandemic, you are out of luck.”
That day most of us knew little about COVID-19. The term social distancing was just making its way into our vocabulary. No one could envision wearing a mask to go to the grocery store. The idea that our world was going to stop for at least the next two-and-a-half months was unfathomable.
As a consultant, I had no idea what to expect. Would campaigns fold? Would candidates just refuse to fundraise? Would donors think we were callous for sending out fundraising solicitations?
While some candidates decided to halt their normal activities, many of our clients saw this moment as an opportunity to grow their campaigns. Based on our experience, here are a few ways campaigns can have fundraising success during the pandemic: read the whole thing at https://bit.ly/coviddem
1833 Group Honored with a Silver Pollie from the American Association of Political Consultants – April 3, 2020
The 1833 Group won a silver Pollie for the best use of fundraising email, for our work with the Jeffrey Sites campaign in Ohio. Our email, Lost: Jim Jordan’s Missing Jacket, raised over $10,000 from 250 donors, and helped establish the campaign’s brand, created a narrative and led to raising $20,000 in the following week.
The Pollie Awards are the most prized and sought-after awards in the political communications and public affairs industries. Every entry – whether submitted by a large consulting company or an individual consultant – is considered equal in competing for honors of excellence. A blind jury of professional peers selects AAPC award winners.
Esquire magazine has dubbed the Pollies “…the Oscars of political advertising.”
Nick Daggers honored with “40 Under 40” Award
Honor Given by the American Association of Political Consultants – Feb 27, 2020
Naperville, IL – the 1833 Group is proud to announce that Nick Daggers has been honored by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) as one of the 40 best and brightest campaign professionals under 40 years old.
“AAPC takes the honor of recognizing the industry’s best and brightest young professionals very seriously, and feels that this year’s award winners, including Nick Daggers, made a measurable impact on the political consulting industry,” said AAPC President Rose Kapolczynski. “We are excited to celebrate and honor the achievements of these winners, and look forward to joining them in Washington, D.C.”
AAPC Vice President Becki Donatelli added: “This year’s nomination pool included many qualified and talented young political consultants, making the judging process all the more difficult. Our bipartisan team of judges were impressed by the commitment to excellence represented among this emerging generation of political professionals. We’re looking forward to celebrating this year’s 40 Under 40 class at the 2020 Pollies.”
Only 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats in the United States were named to AAPC’s exclusive “40 Under 40” winners list. Candidates were evaluated on their role as a strategic consultant in the industry, along with leadership and professional accomplishments in political consulting.
Click here to view the full list of the 2020 “40 Under 40” winners.
The Risks of a Purity Driven Fundraising Strategy
Published in Campaigns & Elections – Jan 13, 2020
Since the Citizens United ruling, many progressives have begun to rally around the idea of campaign finance reform in a new push to get big money out of politics.
By putting such a significant emphasis on reforming the system, some Democrats risk leaving millions of dollars on the table in their fight to defeat Donald Trump in 2020. If Democrats are serious about defeating Trump, they’ll need every dollar they can raise. It also sets a dangerous precedent that down-ballot campaigns will likely try to emulate.
As a Democratic fundraiser, I have seen firsthand the power of money in elections. I fully support campaign finance reform, but I am pessimistic that anything meaningful can happen to curb the flow of dark money into our elections anytime soon.
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have made campaign finance reform centerpieces of their campaigns. In 2016 Sanders made constant reference to that his average contribution was $27. Not to be outdone, Warren refuses contributions from PACs, lobbyists, corporate executives, and has sworn-off the big-dollar fundraisers and bundlers that have become commonplace on national campaigns, even she didn’t abide by these stringent standards when running for the Senate.
Sanders and Warren have both been very successful in building out their low-dollar fundraising programs raising over a combined more than $130 million for their campaigns. While I salute their commitments to running campaigns consistent with their beliefs, I believe it ultimately weakens them, should either become the presidential nominee.
Whoever wins the Democratic nomination must be prepared for the constant attacks from the Trump campaign, and the millions of dollars Republicans have stockpiled over the last four years preparing for the 2020 election.
Our First Year
November 25, 2019
One year ago, we emailed you and told you about the founding of our new firm, the 1833 Group.
We started our firm to provide excellent services to campaigns of all shapes and sizes, and that is precisely what we’ve done for the last 365 days!
As much as we want to stop and reflect on our accomplishments we need to stop to take a moment and thank those that have helped make the last year possible. First, we’d like to thank our amazing wives that put up with our hectic schedule, long-days, and plenty of nights on the road. We also want to thank our incredible and talented staff that really make our firm a success, Nick Roberson, Katie Benshoof, and Hannah Bartholf.
It’s been one-hell of a first year and we can’t wait to see what the next year holds and the years after that.
Nick Daggers on CLTV’s Politics Tonight with Paul Lisnek
July 26, 2019
Nick Daggers talks with Campaigns and Elections
July 17, 2019
Candidates Ignore Traditional Fundraising at their Peril
Published in Campaigns & Elections – July 15, 2019
The way campaigns raise money, especially on the left, is leaving a lot of candidates questioning the wisdom of traditional call time, also known as dialing for dollars.
Some progressives believe that call time is a dark art, a time for candidates to schmooze long-distance with lobbyists and interests that rarely align with the core beliefs of most Democrats.
If you liked a tweet Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) recently sent boasting of not having dialed a single time “this year,” that’s likely your view.
The problem is that, in 2019, not everyone has a devoted base of supporters on platforms like Twitter who can chip in $5, $10, and $27 every time they’re attacked by right-wing media — or even leaders of their own party.
In fact, most likely this cycle 99 percent of Democrats running for Congress are going to have to spend a ridiculous amount of time dialing for dollars over the next 16 months as they work to hold the House majority. This is the unfortunate reality of our current campaign finance system.
Democratic fundraising consultants and finance directors don’t make candidates do call time because we are sadistic slave-drivers, although some candidates might think that’s the case. We do it because it’s the most efficient and logical way to connect with donors coast to coast.
