Savannah Hughes: The Dark Art of the Democratic Grift
By Savannah Hughes
“We have haters because this message raised $90,000.”
“Our Board doesn’t really like this messaging. We’ve gotten a lot of negative feedback on our fundraising emails, but when we try more meaningful content it doesn’t work as well.”
“But our end of quarter FEC reports are coming up and Red to Blue races are raising more…”
These are not hypotheticals. They’re actual quotes, as recounted to us, from conversations happening in campaign war rooms across the country, said to digital teams forced to justify their existence by the dollar.
When cash on hand becomes the primary measure of political strength—more than vision, leadership, or a clear theory of change—it’s no wonder digital fundraising programs often devolve into short-term grifts disguised as strategy.
Party committees, which could and should be modeling sustainable practices, often act like the devil on Democratic organizations and campaigns’ shoulders, whispering more, more, more — even when returns are flatlining and lists are bleeding out.
Many operatives aren’t indifferent. They’re just in survival mode. Budgets are tight. Timelines are tighter. And consultants are judged by EOQ fundraising totals, not long-term trust. In that pressure cooker, the easiest message wins even if it erodes the audience over time.
That’s how the grift becomes a strategy. Not out of malice, but out of incentivized pressure.
On the night of Trump’s nomination, Democrats nationwide received a text message from a PAC breathlessly warning everyone that donations have PLUMMETED despite an alleged 900% match.
Another proclaimed, “Senator Jeffries protests for 7 HOURS against Trump’s megabill. He needs our support!”
“Senator” Jeffries is in fact Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries who, of course, serves in the House, not the Senate.
These aren’t typos. They’re real fundraising messages sent to thousands of inboxes. Both traded factual accuracy for shock value — and still managed to get sent. In all likelihood, the only thing these SMS campaigns likely succeeded at was generating a few clicks and, maybe, a bit of outrage-fueled revenue.
But that kind of messaging is the norm now, not the exception. Manufactured urgency, misleading claims, and absurd hypotheticals are used to prop up increasingly burned-out lists. And when metrics dip, as they inevitably do, the answer is rarely a reset.
In order for Democrats to build ethical digital fundraising programs, there must be a fundamental level of respect for the people on the other side of the inbox.
Like former chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Ben Wikler, said in a recent podcast interview, “You think of yourself as serving the audience with something of value for them. And giving people a way to donate in ways that actually makes an impact is a service.”
This is the north star: offering value, offering purpose, offering action beyond the “Chip in $7 now” CTA.
ActBlue’s new policy updates will ban deceptive tactics—impersonation, unverifiable match claims, excessive spam—and hold programs accountable for misleading donors or sacrificing trust for volume.
Because robust digital programs don’t just beg. They build. They invite people to attend events, call their electeds, share aligned content, and join coalitions. Digital programs can be more than just a cash register. Fundraising should be one of many ways people engage, not the only one they ever see.
Healthy digital programs center the supporter experience. They treat emails and text messages like values-driven media, not just ATM requests. They offer layered engagement: donate, yes — but also organize, learn, vote, share. They use metrics as tools, not masters. And they invest in long-term trust, even when the return isn’t immediate.
Ultimately, the problem is that the digital grift works… until it doesn’t… until unsubscribes pile up, click rates and deliverability crater, a single viral screenshot tanks trust, and your list doesn’t show up because they don’t believe you anymore.
You can’t fake a movement. You can’t scare people into sustainable civic participation. If campaigns want to build real power, they have to offer something real. That starts with telling the truth, respecting your audience, and having the courage to invest in strategies that value people over panic.
When money is the only goal, the outcome isn’t a movement. It’s a transaction. And we all know how fast those can be canceled.
Savannah Hughes is a full-time digital strategist analyzing how aesthetics, emotion, and internet culture shape political power. Her work examines how feelings, images, and algorithms build belief systems we live and vote by.
