Democratic fundraisers are digesting the public letter released Wednesday and signed by some of their colleagues that called on ActBlue to implement changes to protect grassroots contributors. Authentic’s Mike Nellis is one of them. He didn’t sign onto the letter, which was backed by 142 consultants, campaign staff, nonprofit staff, technology vendors, donors and academics, but he still shares some of their concerns.
“It’s a serious issue,” he tells C&E in an email. “I believe there’s a middle ground between respecting donors and being aggressive enough to raise the money Democrats need to win.”
He pointed to his shop’s work for Sens. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Jon Tester (Mont.) and Adam Schiff (Calif.).
It was “bold and aggressive, but it was also intentional and thoughtfully executed with donors in mind,” Nellis said. “We raised hundreds of millions of dollars for our clients without resorting to scams—I believe it’s proof that this can be done.”
He offered these two reasons for declining to sign the letter:
“First, the letter is too broad. Some of the tactics it critiques are perfectly appropriate and commonly used in digital fundraising. It also makes recommendations that would make it very difficult for ActBlue to succeed as a business,” he said, noting that implementing such changes won’t help root out scam PACs.
“I think it would hurt the ecosystem broadly. I also believe these kinds of discussions should stay within the party. Running to the press with this kind of letter feels counterproductive to me.”
He also disliked the timing, which coincided with a Republican-led House hearing that focused on “foreign interference” in U.S. elections.
“Congressional Republicans have made it clear they’re targeting ActBlue in an effort to dismantle it,” Nellis added. “They see it as a cornerstone of Democratic infrastructure—which it is. ActBlue is one of the reasons we’re able to compete against dark money spending from the right, and Republicans haven’t been able to replicate its success with WinRed as broadly.
“At a moment when ActBlue is under attack, having a public fight like this is a strategic mistake. We need to remember who our friends are and who our enemies are. ActBlue isn’t the problem – it’s a team of smart, creative people building tools to help Democrats win. They’re navigating complex ethical challenges in good faith, and now isn’t the time to undermine them publicly.”
