Chuck Schumer

how it got so bad, why texting stop never seems to make the messages stop, the political risks for the Democratic Party, and the critical role that ActBlue plays in our fundraising success and how Republicans are trying to destroy it. You're going to hear from three experts in this digital media world.

Crooked Media's own Dan Pfeiffer, Regina Wallace-Jones, the CEO of ActBlue, and Joe Rosbars, the CEO of Blue State Digital and a longtime digital strategist. We're going to start with my conversation with Joe about how online fundraising has evolved, the explosion of awful fundraising texts, and what a better approach to small dollar fundraising could look like.

Crooked Media's own Dan Pfeiffer, Regina Wallace-Jones, the CEO of ActBlue, and Joe Rosbars, the CEO of Blue State Digital and a longtime digital strategist. We're going to start with my conversation with Joe about how online fundraising has evolved, the explosion of awful fundraising texts, and what a better approach to small dollar fundraising could look like.

So, Joe, you've worked for a bunch of different candidates, Howard Dean, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren. How has your job evolved over time, the job of a digital strategist?

So, Joe, you've worked for a bunch of different candidates, Howard Dean, Barack Obama, Elizabeth Warren. How has your job evolved over time, the job of a digital strategist?

Right now, it's just media. That's the whole ballgame. Do you have a sense, generally, of how much money Democratic campaigns are raising from big donors versus grassroots online fundraising these days?

Right now, it's just media. That's the whole ballgame. Do you have a sense, generally, of how much money Democratic campaigns are raising from big donors versus grassroots online fundraising these days?

Yeah, for sure. I mean, that's true for Obama in 2008, we didn't take any PAC money, any lobbyist money, People thought that might be stupid or risky, but I think the messaging that comes with that kind of, let's be honest, like bare minimum campaign finance step you can take personally is pretty important.

Yeah, for sure. I mean, that's true for Obama in 2008, we didn't take any PAC money, any lobbyist money, People thought that might be stupid or risky, but I think the messaging that comes with that kind of, let's be honest, like bare minimum campaign finance step you can take personally is pretty important.

So the big question behind this episode is why the hell am I getting so many text messages from candidates and why can't I get them to stop? So I was hoping to start with some basics. So when I donate to a candidate, what happens with my data?

So the big question behind this episode is why the hell am I getting so many text messages from candidates and why can't I get them to stop? So I was hoping to start with some basics. So when I donate to a candidate, what happens with my data?

So basically, the campaigns can log your data, put it into a file, and then sell that to other political candidates or, I guess, PACs or organizations? Yep. So I think that's the part that frustrates people because you end up getting these fundraising texts from candidates you've never heard of, from PACs you've never heard of or never given to.

So basically, the campaigns can log your data, put it into a file, and then sell that to other political candidates or, I guess, PACs or organizations? Yep. So I think that's the part that frustrates people because you end up getting these fundraising texts from candidates you've never heard of, from PACs you've never heard of or never given to.

Is it also getting scraped from FEC data or information that we sort of put into the system writ large when we just vote or register to vote?

Is it also getting scraped from FEC data or information that we sort of put into the system writ large when we just vote or register to vote?

And I guess that's probably why it feels like to a lot of people, you can reply stop every day for the rest of your life, and you're still going to remain on some list, probably because your data is just getting sold over and over and over again.

And I guess that's probably why it feels like to a lot of people, you can reply stop every day for the rest of your life, and you're still going to remain on some list, probably because your data is just getting sold over and over and over again.

There have been instances, I believe, of candidates who basically seemed like their entire campaign was predicated on running against Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, or some Republican in like an R plus 30 district. And then this person runs and they raise a ton of money online.

There have been instances, I believe, of candidates who basically seemed like their entire campaign was predicated on running against Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, or some Republican in like an R plus 30 district. And then this person runs and they raise a ton of money online.

You come to realize that, oh, actually, that money is going into, let's say, a marketing firm that they actually own and operate.