Money has been called the mother’s milk of politics, essential to any successful campaign, especially in swing states that could go either way in a presidential election such as the one coming in 2020.
And now the nation’s most powerful liberal donor club says it will use $100 million to target key battleground states in an effort to defeat President Donald Trump, according to Politico:
The group, the Democracy Alliance, wants to fund everything from programs combating social media disinformation to candidate training sessions leading up to the elections and the next round of redistricting, according to a new three-year spending plan described to donors during a recent members-only meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas.
The latest move from the Democracy Alliance stands in striking contrast to their efforts in both 2017 and 2018, when they they poured $600 million into various liberal and progressive causes. In the past, the group focused on think tanks such as the Center for American Progress and media watchdog Media Matters. They will continue to, said Gara LaMarche, president of Democracy Alliance:
“It’s not that we don’t need any more national organizations or that the national organizations are sufficiently resourced. Of course they need investments. [But] we have to be working at the state level and we have to be funding organizations in the grassroots.”
What might that entail? Politico looked at a spending plan from Democracy Alliance and notes:
“The Democracy Alliance’s next wave of spending will include ‘funding programs that listen to voters’ concerns and amplify the policy records — and harm — that the Trump administration and conservatives have caused in Americans’ lives.'”
Kim Anderson, executive vice president of the Democracy Alliance, said donors are motivated by a lack of faith “in the Trump administration to engage with actors that put our democracy at risk.” She added:
“Our donors are keenly aware of both the digital tactics and level of disruption that are being utilized both in this country by the far right and by foreign entities.”
That suggests that social media will once again be a battleground for the hearts and minds of voters and could well play a crucial role in deciding whether or not Trump is given a second term in office.
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