In this episode of Campaign Trend, host Eric Wilson sits down with Ron Nehring, Director of International Programs at the Leadership Institute [https://leadershipinstitute.org/staff-member/ron-nehring/] and former national spokesman for Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign, to discuss the critical gaps in campaign technology for down-ballot races.

Nehring outlines five key challenges facing campaign tech developers: building affordable message testing tools for local campaigns, segmenting voters by engagement level using the "core vs. crowd" framework, translating digital insights into analog strategy, creating better feedback loops to replace unreliable polling, and developing tools that challenge prevailing political narratives.

The conversation reveals why political insiders often struggle to connect with non-political voters and offers practical solutions for tech entrepreneurs looking to penetrate the fragmented world of local campaigns. Recorded at the Leadership Institute's studios following Nehring's presentation at ElectTech San Francisco.

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Why Local Campaigns Need Better Tech Tools – Ron Nehring (Leadership Institute)

How does visual design influence voter behavior and campaign effectiveness? In this episode of Campaign Trend, host Eric Wilson speaks with Shane Helm, founder of RightPixel [https://rightpixel.co/], about the critical role of design in political campaigns. They explore why campaigns often shortchange the design process, the importance of designing for voters rather than candidates or spouses, and how red, white, and blue still outperform trendy color schemes with American audiences. The conversation covers measuring ROI on design investments, incorporating AI tools like Midjourney for image creation while avoiding AI logo generators, and the growing need to design for short-form video content to reach Gen Z voters. Helm also discusses his biggest pet peeve in political design—campaigns trying to reinvent the wheel instead of building on proven design language—and why authentic, simple, patriotic design continues to drive voter response and action. 

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The ROI of Political Design with Shane Helm (RightPixel)

How has corporate America's approach to Washington changed between Trump's first and second administrations? In this episode of Campaign Trend, host Eric Wilson speaks with Alex Conant, partner and co-founder of Firehouse Strategies, about the evolution from companies hiding behind trade associations to direct CEO engagement with the White House. They discuss the shifting role of lobbyists versus public affairs professionals, how companies are building broader coalitions of allies rather than relying solely on traditional lobbying, and the impact of AI on advocacy campaigns. The conversation also covers the continued importance of mainstream media in setting agendas and essential skills for public affairs professionals in today's relationship-driven industry. 

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How Corporate America Learned to Navigate Trump 2.0 - Alex Conant (Firehouse Strategies)

Courtney Weaver, Executive VP at IMGE, cuts through the hype around influencer marketing in political campaigns. Discover why influencers aren't just celebrities with massive followings - they're trusted voices like teachers, veterans, and mom bloggers who've built authentic relationships with niche audiences.

In this conversation with host Eric Wilson, learn practical strategies for incorporating user-generated content into your paid media mix, why you can't skip traditional digital advertising, and how campaigns of all sizes can leverage this relationship-based approach. Wilson and Weaver explore everything from ballot initiatives to local races, delivering actionable insights on budgeting, platform selection, and the mindset shift required to work effectively with content creators.

Perfect for campaign managers, political consultants, and anyone looking to understand how authentic storytelling and digital targeting work together in modern political communications.

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Influencer Marketing in Political Campaigns – Courtney Weaver (IMGE)

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Jordi Calvet-Bademunt (The Future of Free Speech)

On today’s episode, we’re sharing a panel discussion I moderated early this month at the Leadership Institute’s ElectTech [https://www.litraining.org/event/6cd1b7b0-4865-4e34-951c-e446784b8e95/agenda?utm_campaign=Training_Promo&utm_content=329625188&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-13483] conference in San Francisco. It was an informative conversation about how technology can be used to provide scale alongside the more conversational tactics campaigns are embracing. 

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 * Caroline Strom [https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinestrom/], Client Partner for US Elections, X
 * Bryan McPartlan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-mcpartlan-8a168573/], Sales Director, Prompt.io
 * Scott Winn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-winn-1766ba26/], COO, California Republican Party

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Panel: From Clicks to Conversation

Lara Aulestia [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraaulestia/] is founder and CEO of 1060 Advisors [https://1060advisors.com/], a paid media strategy, planning and buying company serving the public affairs and political industry. She has an extensive background in political media buying with past roles at iHeartMedia, Resonate, Xandr, and Warner Media.

In this episode we dig into the need to layer media buys across platforms to achieve our desired reach and frequency objectives.

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Navigating Complex Media Buys – Lara Aulestia (1060 Advisors)

David Tennent (Capitol CNCT)

Our guest is Maya Hutchinson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayahutchinson/], the Founder & CEO of Battleground AI [https://www.battlegroundai.com/], an integrated advertising platform built for politics - effortlessly combining data, messaging, and ad creation in one place. Maya is a data-driven marketer with roots in Democratic politics.

In this episode we discuss the tangible ways campaigns are using AI and how they can more fully tap into this emerging technology.

 * 3 Steps to Smarter Political Advertising [https://campaignsandelections.com/voices/3-steps-to-smarter-political-advertising/]
   
   

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How Campaigns Can Actually Use AI – Maya Huchinson (BattlegroundAI)

Mark Harris

The Business of Politics Show brings you into conversation with the entrepreneurs who build best-in-class political businesses, the funders who provide the capital, and the operatives who put it all together to win campaigns. Hosted by Eric Wilson, Managing Partner of Startup Caucus, an investment fund and incubator for Republican campaign technology.

Campaign Trend Podcast