Beth Fouhy

Campaigns dig through online data to target voters

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NEW YORK (AP) — Voters who click on President Barack Obama’s campaign website are likely to start seeing display ads promoting his re-election bid on their Facebook pages and other sites they visit. Voters searching Google for information about Mitt Romney may notice a 15-second ad promoting the Republican presidential hopeful the next time they watch a video online.

The 2012 election could be decided by which campaign is best at exploiting voters’ Internet data.

The Romney and Obama campaigns are spending heavily on television ads and other traditional tools to convey their messages. But strategists say the most important breakthrough this year is the campaigns’ use of online data to raise money, share information and persuade supporters to vote. The practice, known as “microtargeting,” has been a staple of product marketing. Now it’s facing the greatest test of its political impact in the race for the White House.

“The story of this presidential campaign will be how both sides are using data and algorithms and personalization and math in their marketing,” said Adam Berke, president of the digital retargeting company AdRoll. “The promise and beauty of it is that it’s highly measurable — it’s easy to collect data and see what’s resonating and not resonating with voters.”

Campaigns have worked for years to target subsets of voters using commercially available demographic data, ZIP codes, shopping preferences and television viewing habits. But the growing sophistication of data-mining tools has allowed campaigns to dig deeply into voters’ online habits, giving politicians an unparalleled ability to personalize messages.

Officials in both campaigns declined to discuss their digital strategies, but a review of their most recent Federal Election Commission reports shows both are spending heavily on it. The Romney team spent nearly $1 million on digital consulting in April and Obama at least $300,000.

Both campaigns have been building their digital operations but Obama’s team, famous for its use of the Internet to raise money and build its grass-roots network in 2008, has a significant edge. Obama’s digital staff is far bigger than it was four years ago, bringing aboard engineers and others with backgrounds in statistics and quantitative analysis to assist with the online development.

Among other things, the Obama team is using microtargeting to enhance its voter turnout program. The campaign on Wednesday unveiled Dashboard, a new tool for field organizers and volunteers to collect data about voters both online and in person and deliver it back to a centralized campaign database.

Romney’s campaign will likely receive a digital assist from the Republican National Committee and conservative-leaning independent groups that are working to build databases to target like-minded voters.

Television advertising continues to be one of a campaign’s largest budget items, but a TV ad is a blunt instrument hitting a large number of people at one time — many of whom won’t vote or don’t support the candidate who is buying the ads.

Online microtargeting, by comparison, is far less costly and touches only those the campaign wants to reach.

“It’s used to prevent campaigns from wasting time and money on people who won’t vote for them anyway,” said Jeff Coleman, a digital developer and former field organizer for Obama’s 2008 campaign.

Campaigns use microtargeting to identify potential supporters or donors using data gleaned from a range of sources, especially their Internet browsing history. A digital profile of each person is then created, allowing the campaigns to find them online and solicit them for money and support.

Online searches offer campaigns the simplest form of targeted advertising. When a voter searches on a candidate’s name or a keyword that indicates interest in that candidate, campaigns will place ads next to the search.

The ads offer a great return on investment because the campaign only has to pay for the ad if the voter clicks on it. By layering additional data about the person who clicked on the ad, such as their gender or geographic location, the campaign can tailor a very specific message to get that person’s attention.

“Campaigns used to look at search advertising only if they could raise money off it or use it as a substitute for direct mail. We’re now seeing campaigns use search ads for persuasion and mobilization,” said Rob Saliterman, a former aide to President George W. Bush who handles Google’s advertising sales and outreach efforts to Republican campaigns.

The campaigns also use microtargeting to determine the placement of display ads, the small boxes that appear on websites and follow users around as they browse the Internet.

The campaigns might choose specific sites that are likely to attract voters sympathetic to their candidate. The Romney team might place a display ad on a conservative news website, while Obama might do so on a site popular with college students.

Retargeting, or reaching out to someone who has indicated an interest in a candidate online but has not yet taken an action, is another way campaigns use display ads to reach potential supporters. People who have visited a candidate’s website but left the site without signing up or making a contribution might start seeing display ads from the campaign urging them to do so.

Campaigns will also place display ads on websites targeting a voter’s interests unrelated to politics, such as nature or sports or cooking.

The video-sharing site YouTube has become a popular site for campaign advertising as more people migrate from watching live television to viewing shows and other videos online. Google, which owns YouTube, receives its largest share of political advertising revenue from YouTube ads, Saliterman said.

A voter who has indicated an interest in a candidate and then views a video on YouTube is likely to see a 15- or 30-second campaign ad, called a pre-roll, pop up. A box will appear after five seconds asking if the person wants to continue viewing the ad. Campaigns only pay for ads the viewer watches through to completion.

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Associated Press writer Jack Gillum in Washington and researcher Jennifer Farrar in New York contributed to this report.

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Cory Booker is latest gaffe-prone Obama surrogate

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NEW YORK (AP) — Add Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker to the long list of political stand-ins for both President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney who’ve veered wildly off message in a presidential contest notable for its attention-grabbing gaffes.

An Obama backer, Booker forced the president’s campaign into damage-control mode over the weekend when he called its attack on Romney’s tenure at a private equity firm “nauseating.” It didn’t take long for Republicans to highlight the comment and for the Democratic mayor to try to clean up the mess he caused by releasing a YouTube video in which he said it was fair for Obama to make Romney’s business record a campaign issue.

Obama weighed in Monday as the dust-up lit up social network sites, calling Booker an “outstanding mayor” but insisting he would continue to talk about Romney’s experience at Bain Capital.

“It’s important to recognize this issue is not a distraction,” the president said. “It’s part of the debate we are having in this election.”

The episode, which delighted Republicans while causing a headache for Obama, illustrated the difficulty a presidential candidate faces in controlling his or her message in the era of YouTube and Twitter. It also raised questions about how much campaigns should be held responsible for what their supporters — known as “surrogates” in political-speak — say or do.

“Maintaining message discipline with surrogates has always been a challenge of the modern campaign. In the era of social media it is an exercise in futility,” said Chris Lehane, a spokesman for Democrat Al Gore’s 2000 presidential bid. “Most surrogates are significant people in their own right with their own views, own constituencies and own press corps, and are used to speaking for themselves and not conditioned to the idea that whatever they say or do will become attached to a presidential candidate.”

That was the case for Booker, who has an active social media presence and is eyeing a run for statewide office in New Jersey, where many bankers and private equity investors live.

His effort to soften the blow of his comments Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” didn’t seem to satisfy Obama’s team. Campaign strategist David Axelrod told MSNBC a day later that Booker was wrong and Romney’s experience at Bain “speaks to an economic theory that isn’t the right economic theory for the country.”

Meanwhile, a gleeful Republican National Committee bought ads on Twitter drawing attention to Booker’s comment, and launched an “I Stand with Cory” petition that links signers to a video him.

Almost everyone who speaks on behalf of a candidate is dubbed a surrogate, whether they are close advisers, television pundits or donors eager to make their opinions known. Some surrogates hew closely to the campaign’s talking points. Those who don’t quickly find themselves in the hot seat.

That’s what happened to Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom, who told CNN in March that the campaign would “hit a reset button” once Romney became the Republican nominee.

“It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch,” Fehrnstrom said, referring to the children’s toy. “You can kind of shake it up, and we start all over again.”

The remark, which immediately went viral on the Internet, seemed to reinforce a narrative that Romney has long battled — that the former Massachusetts governor is a shape-shifter who can’t be trusted as a true conservative. Campaign advisers insisted Fehrnstrom was talking about the logistics of running a general election campaign, not Romney’s core principles. But Democrats used the moment to assail Romney anyway.

Celebrities — often helpful in drawing attention and cash to a candidate — can also cause headaches for campaigns.

Talk-show host Bill Maher, who has contributed $1 million to a super political action committee supporting Obama, posted a message on Twitter on Monday that referred to Romney’s Mormon faith as a “cult.” Obama’s campaign has said Romney’s religion should not be part of the campaign.

Maher also stirred controversy last month when he used an expletive on his HBO program to argue that Romney’s wife, Ann, hasn’t worked outside the home. Republicans called on Obama to distance himself from Maher and said the super PAC, Priorities USA Action, should return the celebrity’s money.

That dust-up was similar to another from last month, when Obama supporter Hilary Rosen said Ann Romney “had never worked a day in her life.” Obama’s campaign swiftly repudiated the comment and sought to distance itself from it even though Rosen has no role in the campaign. Obama’s team feared the absence of a strong repudiation of Rosen’s remarks would both turn off women voters and signal that attacks on wives were acceptable.

Romney’s campaign had its own problems with a celebrity surrogate when Ted Nugent, a rock music star, made provocative comments about Obama.

Nugent met with Secret Service representatives after a speech to the National Rifle Association in which he referred to Obama’s “evil, America-hating administration” and urged voters to “chop their heads off in November.” Nugent added, “If Obama is elected, I will either be dead or in jail.”

Romney’s campaign, which sought and publicized Nugent’s endorsement, distanced itself from his comments. “Divisive language is offensive no matter what side of the political aisle it comes from,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “Mitt Romney believes everyone needs to be civil.”

That wasn’t enough for Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who called on Romney to “condemn Nugent’s violent and hateful rhetoric immediately.”

Super PACs, which can raise and spend unlimited sums and are legally prohibited from coordinating with the candidates they support, have emerged as surrogates of a sort and have further complicated efforts by campaigns to stay on message.

Romney was forced to answer for — and repudiate — an ad campaign under consideration by a conservative-leaning super PAC showcasing Obama’s relationship with his controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade Securites, had been weighing a $10 million contribution to the effort but said after it became public that he did not want to participate in such an effort.

Neither did Romney, who said: “It’s the wrong course for a PAC or a campaign.”

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Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bfouhy

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Booker is latest gaffe-prone campaign surrogate

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Booker is latest gaffe-prone campaign surrogateFILE - In this April 13, 2012 file photo, Newark, N.J. Mayor Cory Booker speaks in Newark. Booker, an Obama ally, is the latest politician in damage-control mode in a presidential race already noteworthy for the informal spokespeople who veer wildly off message. His criticism of “nauseating” ads like the Obama campaign attack on Mitt Romney's business record illustrates the difficulty of controlling the message. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)(Credit: AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Add Newark Mayor Cory Booker to the list of people who speak for the presidential candidates, and then veer wildly off message.

Booker on Sunday criticized President Barack Obama’s campaign for attacking Republican Mitt Romney’s tenure at a private equity firm. The Democrat and Obama supporter told NBC News he found the attacks “nauseating.”

Booker’s comment illustrated the difficulty candidates face controlling their message. It also raised questions about whether campaigns should be held responsible for what their supporters say or do.

Republicans have insisted that Obama repudiate comments by talk-show host Bill Maher and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen about Romney’s wife, Ann.

Romney’s had his own problems with so-called “surrogates.” His campaign distanced itself from Ted Nugent after the rocker made provocative comments about Obama.

Gay marriage spawns big spike in online videos

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NEW YORK (AP) — President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign didn’t produce a video publicizing his endorsement of gay marriage. But Obama’s announcement last week has resulted in a record number of searches on YouTube for gay marriage and a rush of the site’s users uploading videos on the subject. Gay marriage was also the most popular topic on YouTube’s news and politics category this week.

Gay rights issues have a history of sparking online viral videos. University of Iowa student Zach Wahls’ plea for marriage rights for his lesbian parents was YouTube’s most-watched political video of 2011. It was followed closely by “Strong,” an ad from Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s since-abandoned bid for the Republican presidential nomination, in which Perry laments the fact that “gays can serve openly in the military.” The Perry video drew more than 760,000 “dislikes” on YouTube and spun off numerous parody videos.

Obama’s announcement led to more videos uploaded on YouTube with the key words “gay marriage” than previously. The videos so far have drawn more than 3 million views and 100,000 comments.

The first major surge of interest in videos related to gay marriage came in 2009, when Miss USA contestant Carrie Prejean told a pageant judge on national television that she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. Prejean said publicity around her answer cost her the Miss USA title.

Super PAC preparing ads tying Obama to pastor

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NEW YORK (AP) — A super PAC working to defeat President Barack Obama is preparing an ad campaign highlighting Obama’s ties to his controversial former pastor.

A Republican strategist involved in the planning said conservative billionaire Joe Ricketts wants to bankroll an effort publicizing the racially incendiary sermons delivered by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright at a Chicago church Obama once attended. The sermons drew considerable attention and presented a hurdle for Obama in 2008 as he sought the Democratic presidential nomination.

The Republican spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private strategy sessions.

The plan would involve at least $10 million in advertising. News of the campaign was first reported by The New York Times.

Republican Mitt Romney refused to answer questions about the effort as he boarded a plane Thursday in Miami.

Ads highlight cozy campaign-super PAC relationship

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Ads highlight cozy campaign-super PAC relationshipFILE - In this May 9, 2012 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the White House in Washington. Looks like President Barack Obama's allies got the hint. An independent group with deep ties to the Democrat's re-election campaign rolls out a TV ad assailing Mitt Romney over business practices at Bain Capital _ just 24 hours after Obama himself opened the same line of attack. It’s a sign of the new world of campaign finance, where super PACs have wide leeway. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)(Credit: AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Looks like President Barack Obama’s allies got the hint.

An independent group with deep ties to the president’s re-election campaign launched a television ad Tuesday hitting Mitt Romney’s business practices at Bain Capital, just 24 hours after Obama’s team debuted its own ad attacking the Republican presidential candidate’s work at the private equity firm.

By law, campaigns and the outside groups are forbidden from working with each other. But at times like this, the lines of separation seem blurred if not crossed.

“The idea that these groups are independent is a fiction in reality terms and, we believe, a fiction in legal terms,” said Fred Wertheimer of Democracy 21, a campaign finance reform advocacy group.

The back-to-back Obama spots, to run in four of the same five general election swing states, are a sign of the new world of campaign finance, where so-called super political action committees have wide leeway to spend as much as they want to help or hurt candidates. And the ads also cast new light on the cozy relationship between campaigns and these groups, raising questions about how independent they are from each other.

The coziness isn’t limited to Democrats. A Romney-aligned super PAC is keeping him competitive on TV as he regroups for the general election. And the relationship between that group — Restore Our Future — and the presumptive GOP nominee was on vivid display during the Republican primaries, when the group spent $36 million on ads assailing the former Massachusetts governor’s rivals.

Super PACs, born of a 2010 Supreme Court decision easing political spending rules, can raise and spend unlimited donations as long as they don’t coordinate directly with the campaigns they support. But the lines are often blurry: The pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action is run by former Obama White House aides, while Restore Our Future is staffed by former Romney advisers.

Strategists for the super PACs insist they are operating independently and are not relying on signals from the presidential campaigns as to what advertising strategy to pursue. But campaign finance watchdogs are crying foul, arguing that super PACs have effectively become high-dollar shadow campaign operations for candidates otherwise constrained by much stricter federal campaign finance rules.

Said Wertheimer: “Candidate-specific super PACs are simply arms of the presidential campaigns and need to be treated as such and be subject to contribution limits.”

Republicans have generally welcomed the emergence of super PACs, and several GOP-leaning groups spent millions to take control of the House and pick up six Senate seats in 2010. Obama sharply criticized the emergence of super PACs that year but ultimately green-lighted contributions to Priorities USA Action after it became clear that his campaign and other Democrats would be vastly outgunned otherwise.

Tuesday’s new ad launched by Priorities USA Action highlights the failure of GST Steel, a Kansas City, Mo.-based company purchased by Bain Capital that went bankrupt and laid off 750 workers in 2001. A day earlier, the Obama campaign announced it was targeting Bain’s management of GST Steel in a two-minute ad.

Priorities USA Action is spending $4 million to air the new ad, while the Obama campaign committed just under $100,000 to run its commercial. But Bill Burton, a former Obama White House aide who now heads Priorities USA Action, said the timing of the two ads was a coincidence and his group had not waited for the Obama campaign go after Bain before making a similar attack.

“It wasn’t a matter of waiting for anything, this was our strategy,” Burton said, adding that the ad had been shot in February and the group has several more it plans to air related to Bain.

“There are four or five examples that are particularly telling of how Mitt Romney made decisions when he was in private business. We had planned on telling this story regardless,” Burton said.

Priorities USA Action’s might may be limited — the group has struggled to raise money, taking in about $10 million through its super PAC and affiliated nonprofit arm by the end of March. The group has spent $2.7 million on ads in May, compared to $28.6 million by the Obama campaign, according to data provided by ad buyers to The Associated Press.

Republican-leaning groups, by contrast, spent about $14 million on commercials in the same period. About $4.3 million was spent by Restore Our Future, which has raised at least $51 million since its inception to support Romney. The Romney campaign has spent no money on TV ads since Romney’s Republican opponents dropped out, clearing his path to the nomination.

Obama’s campaign opened the month of April with more than $100 million in the bank, a 10-to-1 fundraising advantage over Romney. But the president’s edge is minimized by the campaign cash raised by Restore Our Future and other Republican-leaning super PACs, which have pledged to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to help Romney.

Carl Forti, who heads Restore Our Future and served as political director for Romney’s 2008 presidential bid, said the group does not need to coordinate with the Romney campaign to know how to make the best use of resources.

“We’re politically experienced people, we know what Obama’s vulnerabilities are and what we need to do to help Mitt win,” Forti said. “Just because we can anticipate what they need and where they are going, it doesn’t mean it’s coordinated.”

Forti also serves as a strategist for American Crossroads, a super PAC with ties to Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s longtime political director. Crossroads has announced plans to spend as much as $300 million to influence the presidential contest.

While the Republican groups may not coordinate directly with the Romney campaign, they do coordinate with each other. Leaders of some leading Republican super PACs attend a monthly meeting hosted by Crossroads to share information and devise strategy.

Paul Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center, an advocacy group, said super PACs are operating under a fig leaf of independence that does not hold up under scrutiny.

“Super PACs have little or no true independence, that’s why large contributions to super PACs pose just as great a threat of corruption as they would if given directly to the candidates,” Ryan said. “To put it bluntly, there’s no real need for them to coordinate as the law defines it in order to run an incredibly effective ad campaign using unlimited, potentially corrupting contributions.”

The new Priorities USA Action ad is running on TV in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Super PAC also began a website with its version of Romney’s record as CEO of Bain Capital. The Obama campaigns ad is to air in Iowa instead of Florida.

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Thomas reported from Washington.

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