Money in Politics

In what feels like a lifetime ago, we launched season two of the Money in Politics podcast in the summer of 2020. Since then, we have spoken with record-setting fundraisers, political journalists, Joe Biden's pollster and his senior media advisor, lobbyists, opposition researchers, and those keeping an eye on both how politicians use campaign funds and corporate political giving. In today's Season 2 finale of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew reflects on a great season and provides some reflections on the role money played this cycle, and what the future might bring. Though we will be on a brief hiatus, Season Three is right around the corner! In the meantime, we want to hear from you. Do you know a topic we should be discussing, or a person we should be discussing it with? Shoot us an email at andrew@calltime.ai

The issue of corporate political giving is a fairly persistent topic in campaign finance these days, but it took on renewed interest in the wake of the insurrection on Capitol Hill on January 6th. In the aftermath, corporations, ranging from Airbnb to Walmart, announced that they would be making changes to the way they dolled out their political cash. Bruce Freed is the president and co-founder of the Center for Political Accountability, a nonprofit advocacy organization that is leading the way when it comes to achieving corporate political disclosure and accountability. Bruce joins the Money in Politics podcast to help put these recent events in their proper context, as well as shed light on the lasting ramifications, if any, of corporate America's political spending hiatus.

Technology is increasingly becoming available to campaigns that want to leverage the power of data and machine learning to give them the insights necessary to win a modern campaign. By analyzing millions of data points, software is able to detect patterns and insights that campaigns can use to decide where to spend their money, how to organize their field operation, and make other critical decisions. Max Wood is the founder of Deck, a company that leverages the power of data science to help Democrats predict who is likely to vote, who they will likely support, and what campaigns can do to win their races. Max joins the Money in Politics podcast to share how campaigns are maximizing the impact of data to gain a competitive edge.

The 2020 elections demonstrated, once again, that you can have all the money in the world and still not win. There are many factors that influence the outcome of an election, and while having enough money to bring your message to all of your potential voters is certainly key, the nature of your messaging and the overarching strategy behind it is equally as important as its proliferation. John Rowley is the founder of Counterpoint Messaging, a company focused on political and advocacy campaigns at the local, state, and national levels. He has worked on over 500 campaigns in 47 states, and those campaigns have a winning record of 91%. John joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss how campaigns should be thinking about their messaging in an era of increasingly crowded candidate fields and media landscapes.

A large and ever-growing piece of a campaign's budget is spent on digital advertising. While we have talked before on the podcast about the efficacy of using digital ads to fundraise, we've only scratched the surface on the other side of that digital ad spend: all the dollars that are put behind digital ads meant to persuade voters and get out the vote. Megan Clasen is the Senior Vice President of Digital at GMMB, a PR and communications firm in DC that works with candidates up and down the ballot, and she recently served as a senior paid media advisor to the Biden for President campaign. Megan joins the Money in Politics podcast to give her take on some of the digital lessons from the 2020 cycle and the incredible amounts of money that was spent to target voters with digital ads.

The media plays an important role in our politics and the quantity and nature of media coverage a campaign receives can dramatically impact their ability to successfully fundraise. But that is merely one of the many ways that the media, money, and politics, all intersect. Michael Hardaway was a fundraiser on some of Barack Obama’s earliest campaigns, and is now the founder of a media startup called Hardaway Wire, which provides “intelligence briefings" to their membership on the major political issues of the day. Michael joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss how significant financial decisions in business can be influenced by politics, and how the media can shape these high stakes decisions through their accurate- or not so accurate- reporting of the policymaking process.

One of the fastest-changing landscapes in politics is digital media. Whether it is connected TV or ads on social media, there are more ways than ever to reach voters and donors. But while there are certainly some high profile examples of national campaigns leveraging digital tools to raise astronomical sums, what are the real opportunities, and limitations of digital fundraising, for everyone else? Bill Gordon is the CEO of Yosemite Consulting, a digital media trading desk and strategy firm focused on progressive causes. Bill joins the Money in Politics podcast to share how campaigns up and down the ballot are utilizing their digital media presence to not only turn out the vote, but also to unlock fundraising opportunities.

Understanding voters’ attitudes is an important part of an effective campaign. After all, if a campaign is going to spend significant sums of money to get their message out there, they need to be sure that they are crafting their message in a way that reaches and resonates with people. To that end, campaigns have long invested in polling and research. Celinda Lake is the president of Lake Research Partners and is one of the Democratic Party’s leading political strategists. She serves as a pollster and senior advisor to President-Elect Biden, the national party committees, and dozens of Democratic incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process. Celinda joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss the accuracy, capacity, and limitations of polling and research, as well as what it tells us about public attitudes surrounding money in politics.

Despite its importance, the topic of opposition research often exists in the shadows. Whether, and how, campaigns choose to spend money on research can play a huge role in the outcome of an election, and unsurprisingly, money and fundraising often find themselves at the center of this in damaging ways. Carol Andrews is a nationally awarded political researcher and strategist who has spent two decades advising candidates and elected officials in every level of government. Carol joins the Money in Politics podcast to shed some light on the inner workings of opposition research and how campaigns make use of the insights her work provides.

When people hear the phrase "money in politics," they may think about the role of dollars in campaigns. But another concept probably comes to mind: lobbying. Many associate lobbying with something sinister, such as decision-makers being paid to act on behalf of special interests. But the ability to press elected officials to influence policy outcomes is a big part of our democracy. MP Wray is the founder and owner of Top Drawer Strategies, a government and public relations firm based in Louisiana. MP joins the Money in Politics podcast to help us better understand the world of lobbying and the role of money in that process.

Richard DeShay Elliott is the elections analyst at PrimaryCast, a new project that looks at past trends and current election cycle data- such as fundraising figures- to make predictions about Democratic primaries in every state. PrimaryCast forecasts the overall competitiveness of the races, the vote shares, and ultimately, the outcomes, and was more successful in 2020 at predicting outcomes than most opinion polling. Richard joins the Money in Politics podcast to share more about this undertaking and what the data, and his research, suggest about the role of fundraising and spending in Democratic primaries in upcoming cycles.

Political campaign work is tremendously cyclical. Campaigns do not operate in perpetuity, and some don't even make it to the day of the election. All of this contributes to frequent job searching for campaign finance staffers. But while there are many campaigns that are coming to a close at the end of November, many are just getting started for 2021 and are in need of the fundraisers that will help them raise crucial early money. That's why we want to help alleviate some of that post-cycle uncertainty by playing matchmaker! Just submit your resume to us at launch.calltime.ai/resume

This is a special message to candidates. On this "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew shares best practices for thoughtfully concluding your fundraising for a cycle in a way that honors the relationships you’ve built and relied upon, and ensures they endure beyond any single political cycle.

Figuring out who to reach out to and finding their current contact information may be one of the most important, yet hardest, aspects of building and cultivating your donor database. Grassroots Analytics offers campaigns a relatively straightforward answer to this problem - they will sell you the information. Sarah Elizabeth Pole is the Director of Marketing for Grassroots Analytics, which sells donor data to left-leaning campaigns. Sarah Elizabeth joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss when purchasing a donor list may be a good fit for a campaign, how successful these lists are, and how a purchased list ties into an organically grown network.

We have talked a lot on this podcast about the different kinds of political fundraising, and we have similarly talked about the role of political technology. Yet we have never talked about fundraising for political technology. Jeremy Smith is the Founder and CEO of Civitech, a technology company that builds tools for campaigns and activists, among others. Jeremy joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about how Civitech serves progressive campaigns and causes, and how they approach fundraising in the political technology space.

Contrary to a popular misconception, super PACs were not created by the Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Citizens United. They were actually born out of a federal court of appeals decision in the case of SpeechNow.org v. FEC-- a case that was never reviewed by the Supreme Court. Ron Fein is the Legal Director at Free Speech for People, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that aims to reduce the role and influence of big money and corporate interests in elections. Ron and Free Speech for People, on behalf of a bipartisan coalition of members of congress, have a lawsuit pending before the Supreme Court now that would overturn SpeechNow. Ron joins the money in Politics podcast to talk about how super PACs were created, and ultimately, how they can be ended.

Deadlines, whether they are real or artificial, can be incredibly powerful fundraising tools. Donors are as procrastination-prone as anybody else, and a properly utilized deadline can create a compelling sense of urgency and make the donor feel like they made a meaningful contribution at an important time. On today's "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew shares how campaigns can make the most of their next fundraising deadline while avoiding some major, but all-too-common, pitfalls.

Phil Ehr is running for Congress in Florida's 1st Congressional District against incumbent Representative Matt Gaetz. Ousting an incumbent is difficult enough under normal circumstances, let alone when they are one of President Trump's most vocal supporters in a heavily Republican district. Peter Cowley works on Ehr's campaign fundraising team and joins the Money in Politics podcast to share how the campaign has approached fundraising and broken records in a red district.

If you've listened to the podcast before, you'll know that we like to discuss how people of all identities experience the process of political fundraising. After all, money can ultimately determine who is considered a "credible" candidate. There are several organizations that are working to even the money-playing field for candidates of all backgrounds. Daniela Fernandez is the Finance Director of the Latino Victory Fund, a progressive organization looking to grow Latino political power by increasing Latino representation among elected officials and building a base of Latino donors. She joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss the work of the Latino Victory Fund and the experiences of Latino candidates.

Issue One, a crosspartisan organization that brings together Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, recently published a report detailing a concerning loophole that can allow for anonymous money to flood our electoral process. Michael Beckel is the Research Director at Issue One and is the author of that report, "Mystery Money." He joins the Money in Politics Podcast to share more about what he found when it comes to potential foreign influence in our elections.

It seems that all too often, we find ourselves reading another scandal about the ethical lapses of our elected representatives, and this past month was no different. Chris Marquette, a reporter for CQ Roll Call, recently reported that Rep. Sanford Bishop Jr. may have used thousands of dollars in taxpayer dollars and campaign funds for personal expenses on gas fill-ups for him and his family, greens fees at country clubs, luxurious trips, school tuition, and an extravagant Christmas party. Chris joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about how this happened and the accountability mechanisms that exist to help protect against bad behavior.

Black Americans are underrepresented at almost every level of elected office, from the state legislature to the United States Senate. Quentin Jones is the Founder and President of The Collective, a PAC that seeks to attain political equity for Black Americans by educating voters and donors, and by equipping candidates with the resources they need to win. To this end, The Collective has raised and bundled over $10,000,000 and amassed a subscriber network in the hundreds of thousands. Quentin joins the Money in Politics podcast to share how The Collective approaches its support of candidates and what must change about the current role of money in politics to ensure an expansion of black political representation.

The 2020 election cycle has been a roller coaster for professional fundraisers as they have adapted to a global pandemic, an unprecedented presidential election, and new waves of racial justice activism throughout the country. Mather Martin is an experienced political and non-profit fundraiser who currently works with Senator Cory Booker but has also worked with Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, as well as philanthropist and mega-donor Sean Parker. Mather joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss new trends in the fundraising sector.

Welcome to season two of the Money in Politics podcast, and what better way to begin this new season than by diving directly into the deep-end of the swamp?! We're joined today by Daniel DiMauro and Morgan Pehme, the directors of a new HBO documentary, The Swamp, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at congress through the experiences of Representatives Matt Gaetz, Thomas Massie, and Ken Buck, as they, in each their own way, combat the financial interests that play such a big role in congress. DiMauro and Pehme share what they learned from a year of following around these three congressmen to make this film.

Today's episode marks the Season One finale of the Money in Politics podcast! Throughout this season, we have learned a lot from incredibly interesting people with a wide range of perspectives. Reporters from the Wall Street Journal and Politico have helped us cover new developments in the 2020 cycle, the authors and lobbyists for landmark ethics legislation have shared how they enact tangible change, and those who advise major donors on their giving have helped us better understand how donors think. We've spoken with organizers on the ground who are recruiting, training, and coaching candidates in this pandemic; and we have heard from the multitude of voices calling for less, and sometimes, even more, money in politics. Though we will be on a brief hiatus, Season Two will be here soon! In the meantime, please reach out to us. We want to know the topics you want to hear more about, and the guests you want to hear more from. Shoot us an email at andrew@calltime.ai

House Caucuses can play a huge role in state legislative campaigns, but to many people, they can be a little bit mysterious. Da'Quan Love serves as the Political Director of the North Carolina Democratic Party House Caucus, and he previously served as their Deputy Finance Director. Da'Quan joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about the role of the House Caucus in campaigns and elections, how fundraising for the caucus looks different than individual candidate campaigns, and he shares some best practices for state legislative candidate fundraising.

We've spoken with a lot of people on this show about their efforts to get money out of politics as part of their work to preserve and protect our democracy. While Noah Maier shares this same ultimate goal, he takes a completely different approach. Noah is a professional political fundraiser who wants to get more money behind progressive political candidates and causes. To that end, he currently works as a fundraiser for the One for Democracy Initiative, which seeks to get people to pledge at least 1% of their wealth to empower community organizers and to defeat Donald Trump. Noah joins the Money in Politics podcast to address skepticism about big money in politics and to share how political giving can be a high-impact way to bring about change.

The Department of Justice recently opened investigations into lawmakers who sold millions of dollars in stocks after attending closed-door congressional briefings about the COVID-19 pandemic, soon before the market experienced a sharp downturn. Prior to the 2012 passage of the STOCK Act, however, it was completely legal for members of congress to use private information they received as part of their congressional duties to make trading decisions for their own financial benefit. Unsurprisngly, they frequently did. Craig Holman helped draft and pass the STOCK Act, along with some of the most influential ethical and financial regulations concerning public officials. He's done so as the Capitol Hill lobbyist for Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. Craig joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss these most recent allegations of insider trading, as well as his other work to fight back against the negative impact of money in politics.

Ryanne Olsen is the Training and Curriculum Director at Emerge America, an organization that recruits and trains women to run for office. She joins the Money in Politics podcast to share the specific strategies Emerge uses to prepare women to fundraise, how they overcome the hurdles that are unique to women candidates, and how the advent of women-centric donor circles is changing the political landscape.

The end of a quarter (EOQ) is a critical time for fundraising. For many, a quarterly financial reporting deadline can mean an opportunity to demonstrate viability and momentum that could be crucial to the campaign. On today's "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew shares some best practices for end-of-quarter fundraising so that your campaign can make the most of this opportunity.

The health of our democracy has increasingly come into question in recent years and decades, and the role money plays in our politics is a big part of that discussion. David Hawkings is the Editor in Chief of The Fulcrum, a nonprofit and nonpartisan newsite that is dedicated to covering the problems that threaten our democratic system, and the work being done to help address those problems. David joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about this mission, the platform's recent "Democracy Madness" tournament in which money in politics played a big role, and how he's thinking about covering our democracy's health for the balance of the 2020 election cycle.

"Machine learning" and "artificial intelligence" get tossed around a lot these days. And many people are rightfully skeptical about all that people and companies claim to be doing with big data in politics. Adam Boaz-Becker is a data engineer and Co-Founder of CallTime.AI. His work in data science has enabled campaigns across the country to utilize actionable data to fine-tune their fundraising operations. Adam joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about how he thinks about leveraging data to help campaigns target the right donors with the right asks, and the interaction of human expertise with artificial intelligence to yield the best results for campaigns.

One of the biggest barriers to fundraising is building a robust database of current and prospective donors. All too often, campaigns are quick to blame their fundraising woes on simply not having a good enough list. But building and maintaining your donor network is an ongoing endeavor, not something you either "have" or "don't have." On today's "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew breaks down how campaigns can convert their existing networks into strong and evergrowing donor lists.

It shouldn’t be surprising that people are much more reachable and persuadable by individuals that they already know and trust. But how does this translate to fundraising? Shola Farber is the Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of the Tuesday Company, a firm that helps organizations strengthen their connection with supporters to drive community activism and fundraising. Shola joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss how campaigns are leveraging personal relationships to enhance traditional methods of fundraising, which types of candidates or campaigns can gain the most from doing so, and what the future may hold for relational organizing.

Campaign finance filings are typically only interesting for those who work in campaign finance. That's not always the case, though. Zach Montellaro, a Politico reporter, made waves recently when he brought to light how a PAC, Americans for Progressive Action USA, seemingly raised and spent millions of dollars. The catch? The vendors they listed never worked with them and the ads apparently never ran. Zach joins the Money in Politics podcast to talk about his reporting on this mysterious PAC, and how it differs from traditional "Scam PACs".

How do candidates prove that they are electable and that their campaign is viable? Often, the answer comes down to how much they can fundraise. Viability- or at least the perception of viability- can dramatically impact which candidates stay in the race and which drop out, well before voters see a ballot. Alex Obolensky is a fundraiser and political operative who recently served as the Finance Director for Cora Neumann's campaign for US Senate in Montana. Despite what looked like a promising campaign, Cora recently dropped out. Alex joins the Money in Politics Podcast to discuss the viability calculations that led Cora to leave the race, how standards of viability may be applied differently to different types of candidates, and he shares his thoughts on the factors that "screen" candidates well before voters get a say.

Launching your campaign can be an exciting time, but all too often campaigns make avoidable mistakes at one of their most high-profile moments, where fundraising potential is high. On today's "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew discusses how campaigns can maximize their launch by ensuring that fundraising is an integral part of it.

While some campaigns have been slow to incorporate a digital infrastructure into their fundraising, others have come to rely on it. Toby Fallsgraff has spent more than a decade in digital communications and served in leadership roles in the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Now, he serves as Chief Strategy Officer of Do Big Things, a digital campaigning consulting firm. Toby joins the Money in Politics Podcast to discuss both how campaigns are spending on digital tools and using them to raise money, how that's evolving, and some of the ethical considerations involved in digital fundraising.

The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed how campagins are operating. But despite the circumstances, staffers continue to need to be paid, advertisements still cost money, and elections will inevitably take place. On today's "How To" episode of the Money in Politics podcast, Andrew shares best practices from what he has been hearing from campaigns and fundraising professionals across the country about how they have been adapting to these challenging times.

Fundraising can be a daunting task for any campaign, but especially for a first-time candidate. Karl Frisch was recently elected to the Fairfax County Public School Board in Virginia - the 10th largest school division in the United States that serves more than 188,000 students. He not only ran as a first-time candidate, but in the process, he raised an unprecedented amount of money. Karl joins the Money in Politics Podcast to talk about how he prepared to fundraise for the first time, to help dispel some first-time fundraising myths, and to discuss the influence of money in local elections.

Money can play a big role in how the media covers campaigns. How much money have you raised? How much have you spent? Who's donating? Emily Glazer is one of the reporters covering the 2020 election for the Wall Street Journal and writes about the convergence of money, politics, and tech. She joins the Money in Politics podcast to share how she thinks about her coverage, and insights from her coverage of the Buttigieg and Biden campaigns, as well as those up and down the ballot that are retooling in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

There's a lot about money in politics that is flawed. But how do we fix it? Betsy Sweet is running for U.S. Senate in Maine with a passion for getting money out of politics, and she has a history of work on the issue. Betsy helped write the Clean Elections Act in Maine, the nation's first full public funding system for state legislative and gubernatorial races. She ran for governor as a "Clean Elections Act" candidate and is now hoping to secure the Democratic nomination to take on Senator Susan Collins in 2020, a must-win seat for Democrats in their bid to retake the majority in the Senate. Betsy joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss how money can corrode politics, and some ideas she has to "reform Democracy."

How donors think can feel like a bit of a mystery. Hannah Linkenhoker has spent her career advising donors on their political giving, and as Senior Political Strategist at ICM Partners, she now works at the crossroads of Hollywood and politics. Hannah joins the Money in Politics podcast to discuss how she advises clients, what makes donors tick, and how more people can and should get involved in funding campaigns.

Since August 2019, the Federal Elections Commission has lacked the minimum number of commissioners it needs to undertake some of its most essential operations, including the enforcement of America's federal election laws. With the 2020 campaigns well underway, Blair Schuman, a compliance expert and the founder of Roger That Compliance, joins the Money in Politics Podcast to talk about why this matters, how we got here, and what may be in store for the future of the FEC.

Is there a gender gap in political fundraising? Amanda Renteria is a Senior Advisor and former Interim President of Emerge America, a national organization that recruits, trains, and provides a powerful network to Democratic women who want to run for office. She is also a former candidate for congress and governor in California. Amanda joins the Money in Politics Podcast to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that women face when it comes to raising and spending money in politics.

How are campaigns navigating the coronavirus pandemic? Are they fundraising? How? Kelly Dietrich is the CEO and founder of the National Democratic Training Committee, the largest Democratic campaign training program in the country. He joins the Money in Politics Podcast to discuss what he is hearing from campaigns as they retool and recalibrate, and shares how he is coaching campaigns during these uncertain times.

Welcome to the Money in Politics Podcast, hosted by Andrew Blumenfeld! Join us for interesting conversations and takes on one of the most significant and misunderstood elements of our political system: money. You will hear from a variety of perspectives-- such as professional fundraisers, major donors, compliance experts, candidates and their campaigns, and the leaders of some of the most influential organizations in Democratic politics. If you work in or around politics- or just care about the health of our democracy!- this podcast is for you.