When Republican Mitt Romney lost to President Barack Obama in 2012, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus ordered an autopsy of the election and the party to find where things went wrong. The extensive and candid review showed that Republicans need to reach out to more women, more juvenile people, more minorities, and most importantly, they need to do more on-the-ground work.
Over the past four years, Priebus has invested $175 million in field games and data targeting GOP candidates across the board. In 2016, the RNC’s tough work in states across the country paid off when Republican Donald Trump won the White House on Election Day.
“If you don’t have the mechanics on the ground, you can’t win,” RNC communications director Sean Spicer said during a news conference Monday. “We’ve managed to create a formula for success not only at the top of the ticket on Tuesday, but all the way to the state level.”
Thanks to the RNC’s army of volunteers and staff, 24 million doors received targeted knocks this cycle. In addition to in-person visits, 26 million phone calls were made. More than 2.6 billion voter contact attempts were made directly, according to data provided by the RNC. No private, outside companies were hired to reach voters.
Team @gop knocked on 24 million doors @realDonaldTrump @mike_pence @gop including 9 million in the last 4 days #Elections2016 https://t.co/sWNRfH8geo
— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) November 14, 2016
After reviewing President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns, RNC officials and analysts concluded they did not apply data well to reach voters. That changed in the 2016 election cycle.
“I think the results speak for themselves,” said RNC chief of staff Katie Walsh. “It’s a steady field game.”
Part of the RNC’s success extends far beyond the presidential election and has largely benefited lower-tier candidates. Republican senators in tough states have been in daily contact with the RNC to research data and reach out to voters throughout the race.
“Reince built a structure for all the candidates on the Republican side,” Walsh continued. “We’ve expanded the map to a place where it’s hard for Democrats to say we haven’t succeeded.”
GOP Digital Ground game? https://t.co/NS0VHA2ZBN photo:twitter.com/0vKIqSMnFe
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 12, 2016
WI FACT: 4.7 million contacts with volunteer voters photo:twitter.com/cEEgrZQox6
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
NH FACT: The RNC employs 201 paid staff and trained on-site organizers photo: twitter.com/xbYvqZxL1t
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
PA FACT: The Republican Party has added 250,884 people to the rolls since 2013. photo:twitter.com/NPjci4DCpK
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
FACT: Republicans cut Democrats’ AB/EV advantage in Ohio by 65,048 votes since 2012 photo:twitter.com/a6nTVfWekK
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
NC FACT: 5 million contacts with volunteer voters photo: twitter.com/eZ1TTvklIA
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
FL FACT: Republicans have narrowed their lead in Florida by 85,889 votes since 2012. photo:twitter.com/o8pMofkzDw
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
Our field game in cooperation with the campaign @realDonaldTrump over the top photo:twitter.com/PZKdpDNx16
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
A historic victory achieved by reaching voters online and offline. When we work together, we win.
Actions taken https://t.co/B5M2l4VCWc ?? photo:twitter.com/5M6lrK6HJS
— Republican Party (@Republican Party) November 9, 2016
