Where Is the GOP’s Digital Response?

Fresh off another special election victory, this time in Louisiana, Democrats are ready for their “blue wave.” As today’s Democrats continue to outperform Kamala Harris, a House majority is within reach.

But this isn’t just about President Trump’s job approval or the usual midterm cycle. Too many Republicans have rested on their laurels after a Trump rout in 2024, and Democrats are gaining ground in other ways, especially in the digital ecosystem.

Since 2024, Republicans have been slow to harness the power of new media. The likes of Turning Point USA have made inroads, but liberal voices have spent real money building a “digital army,” rallying podcasters and social media influencers to the anti-Trump cause. Many of them don’t look or sound like traditional political messengers – and that’s precisely the point. Their content feels native to the platforms voters actually use. Podcasts like “I’ve Had It” are now cutting into the YouTube advantage that swung Republican, racking up millions of fans. Even if they don’t win over young men, young women are following suit – and Trump officials are paying attention.

Democratic candidates and campaigns are working around the clock to reach digital audiences with authentic messaging. Their consultants are doubling down to reach new, young, and low-propensity voters. As one Democratic strategist put it, “The next great Democratic victories will not be won on cable or broadcast; they will be streamed.”

Unfortunately, Republicans have been slow to embrace new platforms and take an “authenticity risk.” The GOP doesn’t have a messaging problem. We have strong messengers, and winning issues that can capture new voters. Voters want a secure border and a system that actually works, an economy where hard work pays off, lower costs for groceries and energy, plus safe streets and safe communities.

We have a distribution problem. Linear TV is slowly fading, audiences are fracturing, and attention spans are shrinking. That is not a setback; it is an opening. But it becomes a missed opportunity if Republicans resort to age-old cable news or local broadcast advertising without considering alternatives. Republican allies have been spending millions of ad dollars with no clear return on investment.

The resonance of Zohran Mamdani’s movement is further proof that an “authentic everything” approach to digital media is the only path forward. Even today, Mamdani is using Instagram and TikTok to retain his popularity among young voters, who know where he likes to eat as much as where he stands on rent control. And it’s working: Mamdani’s approval rating has gone up in New York.

What Mamdani and other Democrats understand is this: Digital is a primary media, not secondary. It is now the primary persuasion channel for voters between 18 and 64 years of age. Voters spend far more time streaming than watching linear TV, and Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) data allows campaigns to target TV households with surgical precision. Digital empowers campaigns to build narrative arcs across platforms, reach early voters, retarget non-viewers, and tailor creative to each environment.

Demographics don’t vote; behavior-based segments do. The most effective Republican campaigns are using behavioral IDs, real viewing data, and actual voter histories to build their persuasion universes. The least effective just assume voters watch Fox News – and hope for the best.

Smart campaigns in 2026 will use ACR-informed segments based on real viewing data from i360, Tunnl, Deep Sync, and Semcasting to identify early and absentee voters. This helps reach specific segments like suburban women, Hispanic men, military households, and younger independents. Cable news can’t compete with that. The times have been a’changing. Smart TVs and other connected TV formats aren’t “emerging” channels; they are the persuasion battleground.

That is the distribution piece of the puzzle for Republicans to solve. The other is creativity. Most political ads look the same, and voters tune them out. For Republicans, the 2026 breakthrough will come from creativity that actually feels alive and authentic – fast-cut mobile spots, rapid-response messaging that lands in the moment, and micro videos that match how people consume content today. Campaigns should take cues from conservative influencers who take viewers “behind the scenes” or film candid moments with political leaders. Turning Point’s Super Bowl halftime show is another example of creativity done right.

When Republicans are accused of border security going too far, Fox News segments won’t be enough. Candidates and campaigns will have to make the case in shorter form – facts and figures on TikTok, YouTube, and everywhere else. Not only have some Republicans struggled to defend Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but they are missing the target audience. Amid increasing anti-Trump backlash among young voters, the case for ICE needs to be made where young voters are actually watching and listening.

Bringing cable news-style programming to YouTube doesn’t work – not when YouTube users have grown accustomed to the dialed-back feel of the platform. Mamdani’s team doesn’t bring “Meet the Press” to Instagram; they do the opposite, making content that is short, sweet, and easily clickable. Beginning with the voter is the only strategy to consider, allowing tactics to flow from the location of the target audience.

Republicans don’t need to outspend Democrats; they need to outsmart them digitally. The GOP campaigns that embrace modern media will win the fights that shape the future. Democrats may have the electoral edge, but there is plenty of time until November.