LTO Links #296

The Political Impact Of A Musk Twitter Takeover

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Issue #296 |

Advertising

Don’t expect a liberal exodus from Elon Musk’s Twitter

"While Musk hasn’t addressed the issue of political ads, the ban is one of the decisions made by former CEO Jack Dorsey that Musk could reverse. Twitter didn’t have a lot to lose financially in banning political ads, which garnered just $3 million in revenue from the 2018 midterm elections."

The biggest digital ad battleground of 2022?

"When it comes to raw digital spending, Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams are crushing their opponents in their respective races. Our tracking of battleground Senate and gubernatorial races indicates that this has made Georgia the most expensive state to campaign in online so far this cycle. Here’s how much the statewide campaigns have spent on Facebook and Google ads so far this year:"

Data

The third-party brokers who make millions selling your data to political groups

"In 2020, federal campaigns, super PACs and special interest groups paid data brokers over $23 million to access veritable treasure troves of data on millions of Americans. As the 2022 midterm elections gear up, OpenSecrets has already tracked about $6 million in payments to brokers from federal candidates and super PACs."

Email

Republicans hit Google with FEC complaint over Gmail censorship of fundraising emails

""As midterm elections approach, we are formally calling on the FEC to investigate the extent and intentionality of Google’s censorship of Republican fundraising efforts," read the statement provided to Fox News Digital. "This is a financially devastating example of Silicon Valley tech companies unfairly shaping the political playing field to benefit their preferred far-left candidates."

International

What political design looks like in France

French presidential campaigns don’t have the same budgets or design needs as U.S. presidential campaigns. And although they sometimes rip off visual design trends from the U.S., their political culture is driven by the street, not TV or digital ads.

Social Media

Biden officials worry Musk will allow Trump to return to Twitter

"Members of Biden’s inner circle and party strategists are worried that misinformation will rise on Twitter under Musk’s leadership and ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which could pit Biden against the former president in a rematch, these people said. Former President Barack Obama is among a group of Biden allies privately concerned that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter could lead to a Trump return to the platform, according to a person familiar with the matter."

  • Trump will not return to Twitter even as Elon Musk purchases platform, will begin using his own TRUTH Social (FoxNews.com)

Conservative Twitter accounts got boost in followers after Musk acquisition, data shows

"The shifts are unlikely to be the result of changes within Twitter’s management of the platform, as the deal will not close for months and Musk has not had time to directly affect operations. Instead, the shifts appear to be an organic reaction to the news, with users either joining or leaving the platform in anticipation of Musk’s ownership."

Technology

Voter engagement as a service: Votus plans a personal touch for politicians

"Votus (it rhymes with “POTUS”) is a subscription software platform that places a particular emphasis on one-on-one political messaging. Which is to say, it’s one of the reasons all those politicians keep sliding into your DMs. But Votus CEO Brandon Harris made clear that he understands the pitfalls of the field: “We don’t want to be just a mass DM tool,” he told Protocol, saying Votus helps campaigns figure out how to “turn chaos into community.”"

Early-Stage Investment Is Still a Challenge For Political Technology Startups

"“Some investors only think elections happen every four years,” Alex Niemczewski, CEO of BallotReady, said during a panel at C&E’s CampaignTech East conference. “So there’s a lot of education.” Niemczewski’s backers include HGL, but also angel investors and venture capitalists."