Has any candidate done this in the past?
Yeah, Obama.
Many in different races.
On facebook there is a flier that was sent out by the Iowa GOP for 2014 similar to this. But instead it showed a google air-photo with checkmarks on you and your neighbor’s homes on who had voted or not.
It said Alaska and other states have done this too. Not excusing it - but it has been done and I imagine has been shown to work.
Obama For America, which, in addition to being successful against Romney in 2012, utilized a lot of Google analytics personnel (either as direct employees or on loan.) They had a distinct edge in micro targeting, which Romney’s campaign did not match.
Cruz is using the same methods, and perhaps some people are unfamiliar with them, and may not like them. That is your privilege. But it is not a privilege of any Republican campaign to be doing battle with pre-modern information technology and methods.
Who cares? Are you a sheep? It’s like the kid who says, “ Well, dad, all the other kids are doing it.”
yup and they have been democrats
Both conservative and liberal campaigns have used similar mailings since 2004 in many states. I posted two articles about it earlier.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3390772/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3390778/posts
Note that these did NOT go out to everybody in a blanket mailing. It was targeted to voters who they thought might respond well to it.
I am concerned that if they target the wrong voters, they could encourage people who are not Cruz supporters to vote, which wouldn’t help Cruz. This kind of mailing makes more sense in a general election when you can target Republicans directly and be very confident you’re getting vote out for your side as opposed to the Democrat.
Yep, by both parties
actually, yes. It was done in Alaska by some candidate.
i’m glad he didn’t apologize. i’m sick of all the apologizing, especially if you dont mean it.
i dont agree with the tactic but if the apology was gonna be fake, what good would it be?
I got a call the other day...it was a recording but it said..”you didn’t vote in the last election, vote xyz November”. The thing is I vote in every election and primary. I have to wonder if the mailers Cruz sent out really were had the names of ones neighbors or if it was just a gimmick to push people to vote.