Does digital campaigning actually matter in elections?

According to a new study from the Center for Campaign Innovation, the answer is yes — and the consequences are real.

In this episode, Eric Wilson breaks down findings from a comprehensive analysis of the 2025 Virginia House of Delegates elections, where Democrats and Republicans ran vastly different digital programs — with very different results.

We talk about what the data shows, where each party is falling behind, which digital tactics actually move voters, and what tools campaigns still need to invest in if they want to compete.

We talk about what the data shows, where each party is falling behind, which digital tactics actually move voters, and what tools campaigns still need to invest in, if they want to compete. If you work in politics, campaigns, or digital strategy, this is a must-catch conversation.

Find links, the full transcript, and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

Miles Bruner spent 12 years working in the Republican ecosystem, first as a grassroots organizer in Orange County, California, then as a digital fundraising strategist for one of the top GOP fundraising firms in the country. Recently, he went public with an article in The Bulwark detailing his decision to leave the Republican Party over its descent into authoritarianism and calling on his colleagues to do the same.

The piece, “My Last Day as an Accomplice of the Republican Party,” is powerful. Miles isn’t the first Republican to quit his party publicly; Tim Miller has written a whole book about his own journey. But I was particularly interested in talking to Miles because he worked in digital, inside a party he found himself agreeing with less and less.

To quote him briefly: “The clients I oversaw and the emails I wrote for them were all 100 percent pro-MAGA. Every piece of fundraising content had to somehow out-MAGA the previous. It was routine to publish content that pushed election fraud conspiracies, stoked anti-immigrant sentiment, and sowed distrust in our institutions.”

As he spells out, he couldn’t afford to leave, but couldn’t bear to stay. Ultimately his values won the day and here we are. He joined me on the pod to talk about what he saw from the inside—and what he thinks is coming next.

We covered:

• What's working on the right
• What he thinks is coming next
• The secret behind all those bible verses you see Republicans sharing on social
• Whether Google is actually preventing Republican emails from getting delivered? (Hint: it’s not!)
• Escaping the GOP cult
• And so much more!

Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.

"When you have worry and you have anger, you have attention."

Marine. Mechanic. Sports Radio Host. Raised in a trailer park. Fighter for the working class. That’s how Nathan Sage describes himself.

He also calls himself a loudmouth. And a tattooed, hairy, fat guy who says it how it is.

At first glance, he looks and sounds almost MAGA. But he’s running for Senate as a proud progressive, aiming to be a voice for Iowans who have been left behind by both parties. And he’s running one hell of a digital program.

He joined me on the pod and we talked about the power of authenticity, what's working on digital for him these days, why the messenger matters and so much more.

Find links, transcript and more at HelloMergeTag.com.