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

Our guest today is Arnold Punaro [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnold-l-punaro-0973b573/], a retired Marine Reserve Major General. For decades he served on Capitol Hill, including as the Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Today he runs the Punaro Group [https://punarogroup.com/], consults for a broad array of Fortune 100 companies, and has been recognized by Defense News as one of the 100 most influential individuals in US Defense. He’s also the author of “If Confirmed: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process.” [https://a.co/d/94lCLrh]

In this episode General Punaro takes us behind the scenes of the confirmation process from short lists to nominations to vetting to hearings and Senate votes. So if you want to survive a Senate confirmation hearing someday, take notes!

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How To Get Confirmed By The Senate – Arnold Punaro

On today’s episode, I’m joined again by my friend Adam Belmar [https://www.linkedin.com/in/adambelmar/] from Advocacy Content Kitchen [https://www.advocacycontentkitchen.com/] who produces the Campaign Trend Podcast and we’re discussing some of the latest news from the world of tech and politics. We dig into political ad spending on X, the Left’s X exodus, what’s going on with TikTok, and more. 

Stories discussed in this episode:

 * X sold over $25 million in political ads in 2024 [https://www.chaoticera.news/p/x-sold-over-25-million-in-political-ads-in-2024]
 * These progressive groups left X for Bluesky. Was it a mistake? [https://www.chaoticera.news/p/these-progressive-groups-left-x-for-bluesky-was-it-a-mistake]
 * The 2024 election exposed Republicans’ worst weakness [https://thehill.com/opinion/5099507-low-dollar-donors-republican-vulnerability/]
 * Measuring Political Preferences in AI Systems An Integrative Approach [https://manhattan.institute/article/measuring-political-preferences-in-ai-systems-an-integrative-approach]
   
   

Latest News on Tech and Politics

Our guest today is Abigail Sigler [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-h-sigler/], Vice President at Baker Group Strategies [https://bakergroupstrategies.com/] and the former campaign manager for Senator Marsha Blackburn from Tennessee. 

In this episode we’re talking about a unique initiative from Senator Blackburn’s re-election campaign known as “Campaign College”, a training program to train volunteers across the state in the various components of modern campaign strategy from canvassing to analytics.



 * How Marsha Blackburn used campaign to train new generation of GOP activists (Axios [https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2024/12/09/how-marsha-blackburn-used-campaign-to-train-new-generation-of-gop-activists])



How To Build A Campaign Volunteer Training Program – Abigail Sigler

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.