Chuck Schumer

Four, and this one I believe is supposed to be sung, lately I've been losing sleep, losing sleep about the future of our country, Tommy. Number five, friend, I don't mean to sound dramatic, but our democracy is about to burn to the fucking ground. My ass is literally on fire, RN. This is Chuck Schumer, by the way. Which of those do you think is real? Welcome to Pod Save America. I'm Tommy Vitor.

Four, and this one I believe is supposed to be sung, lately I've been losing sleep, losing sleep about the future of our country, Tommy. Number five, friend, I don't mean to sound dramatic, but our democracy is about to burn to the fucking ground. My ass is literally on fire, RN. This is Chuck Schumer, by the way. Which of those do you think is real? Welcome to Pod Save America. I'm Tommy Vitor.

And this episode is about something everyone hates, fundraising emails and fundraising texts. Even if you've made only one political donation in your life, your contact information can get thrown into some database that leads to endless streams of unhinged fundraising solicitations. But this problem is bigger than it just being kind of weird when Hakeem Jeffries won't stop sending you selfies.

And this episode is about something everyone hates, fundraising emails and fundraising texts. Even if you've made only one political donation in your life, your contact information can get thrown into some database that leads to endless streams of unhinged fundraising solicitations. But this problem is bigger than it just being kind of weird when Hakeem Jeffries won't stop sending you selfies.

It could actually undermine one of the few advantages that Democrats have over Republicans, which is grassroots fundraising success. In 2024, Kamala Harris raised about 40% of her money from small-dollar donors, while Trump raised less than 29% of his.

It could actually undermine one of the few advantages that Democrats have over Republicans, which is grassroots fundraising success. In 2024, Kamala Harris raised about 40% of her money from small-dollar donors, while Trump raised less than 29% of his.

And according to an analysis by the Center for Campaign Innovation, in the first three months of 2025, House Democrats have raised about twice as much on average from donors giving under $200. And the Democratic Party's advantage with small-dollar donors is even bigger over in the Senate.

And according to an analysis by the Center for Campaign Innovation, in the first three months of 2025, House Democrats have raised about twice as much on average from donors giving under $200. And the Democratic Party's advantage with small-dollar donors is even bigger over in the Senate.

But if we drive those donors away by annoying them, or worse, by exploiting them, that fundraising advantage will evaporate. So in today's episode, I'm going to explore the world of online fundraising.

But if we drive those donors away by annoying them, or worse, by exploiting them, that fundraising advantage will evaporate. So in today's episode, I'm going to explore the world of online fundraising.

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.

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.