Outgunned by Trump, Democrats Call Tech Help Desk for 2020 Race
Liberal investors back firms developing online tools for Democrats only
Reid Hoffman speaks at a forum in San Francisco on April 16, 2019.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
Donald Trump and the Republican Party won the White House in 2016 thanks in part to beating the Democrats where they had been dominant: harnessing the internet. Now, Democrats are trying to play catch up.
Liberal-minded donors, technology executives and political consulting firms are investing in new digital tools to help Democratic candidates raise money, get their message out and mobilize voters. They’re taking a page from ActBlue, the fundraising platform that has raked in $3.5 billion for Democratic candidates since 2004 and on Monday said its single-biggest day in contributor numbers came on June 30.