RNC, DNC rapid response teams take center stage as midterm elections loom
Rapid response teams act as the digital offense for the RNC and DNC
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: Rapid response teams, the digital sphere’s minutemen, are playing a major role in two American political foils entering the 2022 midterm elections.
Both the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) run rapid response operations that answer journalists’ questions and interact on social media.
These teams act as the parties' digital offense, responding quickly and efficiently to the news of the day while lobbing bombs at their rivals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to both party committees about their online political offensive operations going into 2022.
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One of the RNC's walls covered with TVs. (Photo courtesy of RNC creative producer Brice Brazell)
The RNC told Fox News Digital its rapid response team works under its communications umbrella and earns a lot of media online.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials noted speed and accuracy drive results in their rapid response operation and that they’re willing to put in work to get content out fast, averaging under five minutes to get new content up if it’s prepared.
Twitter and YouTube have become the main media for the RNC’s rapid response while the team focuses on the big issues facing Americans.
Both the RNC and DNC run massive, active social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers each promoting candidates while also amplifying opposition research and the case against opponents.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One of the RNC's tweet walls. (Photo courtesy of RNC creative producer Brice Brazell)
The RNC Research account has over 258,000 followers, and the Republicans’ main account has 3 million.
The DNC War Room account has nearly 90,000 followers, and the Democrats' main Twitter account has 2.3 million people following them.
These mammoth followings allow both parties to reach voters of all stripes with positive messaging about their candidates and opposition research about the other party’s players.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The GOP rapid response team told Fox News Digital its Twitter video content has gotten over 460 million views and 1.1 billion impressions on the site this election cycle. It also said its YouTube account has garnered 80 million views this cycle.
Daily issues tend to be the focus of the RNC rapid response team’s work, but officials said their top issues are crime, inflation, empowering families versus bureaucrats and illegal immigration.
One of the RNC's tweet walls. (Photo courtesy of RNC creative produce Brice Brazell)
Additionally, the RNC team said it tends to focus on its work, not what its rivals across the aisle are doing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The DNC is making massive midterm moves too, telling Fox News Digital the Democrats are investing in their network of over 200,000 virtual volunteers from the Biden campaign and paid media and signature programs to reach voters. The RNC says it has more than 830,000 engaged volunteers.
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Recently, the DNC launched a seven-figure ad buy touting President Biden and the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act that hit airwaves in multiple major media markets across America.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The massive buy is hitting the airwaves across America and will also fund digital ads, gas station advertisements and a national cable buy. It is also funding radio, print and digital ads in Black, Spanish-language, Native American and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) media outlets.
The Democrats also told Fox News Digital they have raised a record $255 million this midterm election cycle and have invested $70 million of that money into their operations. The RNC says it has raised $256 million so far this cycle.
The digital war between Democrats and Republicans is heating up. (iStock)
Additionally, the DNC said it invested $20 million in battleground state races for paid media and coordinated campaign staff to support communications, data and more.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The DNC said its investments will give Democratic candidates resources to reach voters and make their case of working to ease burdens on voters and lower costs as Republicans target raising taxes and premiums and the expiration of Social Security and Medicare.
As the midterms continue to heat up, rapid response teams will play an increasingly forward-thinking role in key races across the country.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Both parties’ ability to effectively and efficiently respond to the quickly evolving political landscape will be crucial in a tight election year.
With social media’s presence and the prevalence of smartphones in America, rapid response teams have become a political staple.