Longtime Democratic power player Priorities USA just launched a $30 million digital media campaign – aptly named ‘Prologue’ – to define the GOP’s 2028 frontrunners. (See, I told you it wasn’t way too early to launch 2028-focused digital products!)
Priorities USA was Dems’ main presidential super PAC in 2012, ‘16, & ‘20; it basically ran TV ads every four years, and that’s about it. But then the group – helmed by Danielle Butterfield since 2021 – began reinventing itself as an always-on operation to build digital infrastructure.
And they’ve been doing a ton of smart, creative work to try to fill the gaps, piloting everything from new tech tools & training courses, to a persuasion program targeting gamers in Ohio. Not all of these experiments will work of course; indeed, they’ve been begging Dems to stop being so risk-averse – a worthy if fruitless endeavor!
The first ads in their new project take aim at Marco Rubio & JD Vance – and they definitely don’t look like typical political ads. That’s by design. It’s a platform-native campaign aimed at hyper-online, politically disengaged 18-44-year-olds in swing states; pumping glossy TV spots into this cohort’s feeds is a surefire way to get tuned out. Instead, the ads are drenched with the same nearly-nihilistic satire they traffic in, and seek to hang Rubio & Vance with their own words (and the admin’s record) on issues like rising costs and the Iran war.
I found the forthcoming stages of the program even more intriguing:
Again, it’s impossible to say how successful each aspect of the novel program will be. But I’m certain this is a better strategy than hoarding cash until Sept. 2028 and then throwing $1 billion behind whichever TV ads dial-test the best.
The local mom-and-pop podcasters
When the Rosenthals – a Bucks County (PA) family whose irreverent approach to processing tragedy has yielded a sizable social following – launched their new Laughs After Loss podcast this week, they had an impressive first guest: JOSH SHAPIRO.
Being the sociopathic consumer of Democratic media hits I am, I felt obliged to tune in. What proceeded a surprisingly poignant exploration of grief, fatherhood, and purpose. It was hardly the first time I caught Shapiro on a small, PA-based podcast.
On Men At Work, he bro’d out with two dudes in their Philly apartment, discussing their main policy priority: legalizing weed. On Between Us Girlies, he talked about what he did for Valentine’s Day (took Lori to the Eagles parade, technically). On Kylie Kelce’s FAFO Podcast, they almost-exclusive discussed maternal healthcare. He talked about how Trump’s tariffs hurt PA breweries on The BrewedAt Podcast. You get the idea.
And that’s all on top of his many appearances on local sports podcasts and talk radio, countless events for – and collaborations with – PA-based creators, and more.
While some of these shows are tiny, clips from local pods have collectively racked up millions of views over the course of his tenure – and they’re disproportionately reaching his constituents, serving up relevant content in an intimate format via platforms they trust. And by giving local podcasters face-time, he’s nurturing relationships and good will that may have a long tail.
In 2028, a clown-car of candidates (several clown cars, really… a clown carpool??) will be trying to connect with early state voters. In an increasingly atomized media ecosystem – and an increasingly alienated society – don’t sleep on the value of the parochial parasocial relationship.
Support your local mom-and-pop podcasters!
Quick Hits
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ extended her endorsement hot streak on Tuesday, as all four DSA candidates she backed for the NY Assembly – three of whom were taking on incumbents – won their primaries by 15+ points. But of course, that undersells how big of a night this was for her as her wing of the party appears ascendant. Or, as I wrote back in February…
“Perhaps the most underrated story in Dem politics of 2025, much of which AOC spent out of the spotlight, was the way her embrace of Zohran Mamdani solidified her position as heir to the Bernie movement.”
In a remarkable Father’s Day interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Sen. MARK KELLY revealed that his dad was a violent alcoholic – recounting horrific scenes from his childhood – which inspired him to break that cycle of abuse. I’ve never heard Kelly talk about this before; the full sitdown is worth watching.
KELLY also campaigned for North Carolina Senate nominee Roy Cooper at an event for military families and veterans in Wilmington.
GAVIN NEWSOM’s enthusiastic and nearly unqualified embrace of Joe Biden was the topic of a smart piece by Axios’s Alex Thompson this week – which suggests that he is angling for an endorsement – as well as a Nate Silver piece asking “What is Gavin Newsom doing?” (Playing to the #Resistance Libs who deny Dems have a substantive problem at all, Silver speculates.)
RUBEN GALLEGO held a fireside chat with strategists Mike Madrid & Chuck Rocha at their Latino Vote Summit at the National Press Club on Tuesday. Pushing back on a Politico report about using campaign cash like a “personal slush fund,” he argued he never could’ve afforded to run for Senate had he not tapped that funding for childcare, which is legal.
Have you heard the fake moon landing theory of JON OSSOFF rallies? It’s (mostly) a joke, but on Thursday’s episode of NKA, guest co-host Kyle Tharp had me in stitches as he argued there’s simply no way Ossoff is always drawing massive crowds who cheer enthusiastically as he nails killer speech lines, captured in those theatrically staged hero shots that always go viral. He expounded on his trutherism in yesterday’s edition of Chaotic Era.
PETE BUTTIGIEG told NOTUS’s Alex Roarty that his time in the Biden Admin ‘radicalized’ the self-identified ‘ideological moderate’ when it comes to the need for institutional reforms to streamline delivery of services. Check out the full interview if you want to understand Pete’s anti-nostalgic vision for Dems.
BUTTIGIEG also campaigned for Chris Jones (AR-02) in Little Rock this weekend, continuing his aggressive tour of red-leaning states and districts.
Sen. ELISSA SLOTKIN introduced legislation – cosponsored by Sens. WARNOCK, GALLEGO, & KELLY – to prohibit presidents from deploying the military or armed federal law enforcement agents to polling places or to seize election material.
RO KHANNA challenged Elon Musk to a televised debate and substacked about why he should testify before Congress after Elon threatened to sue Khanna – and suggested he should be jailed – for citing a study that found DOGE cuts to USAID could cost 4.5 million children’s lives. Ro continues to pick smart fights, which will be important in the 2028 primary.
KHANNA also published an op-ed on Fox News making the case that Trump’s Iran deal is weaker than Obama’s JCPOA.
Highlights from the Big, Beautiful Tracker
JOSH SHAPIRO on Laughs After Loss with The Rosenthals
MARK KELLY on CNN’s State of the Union
RO KHANNA on Real Time with Bill Maher
KAMALA HARRIS on The Don Lemon Show
JOSH SHAPIRO on SmartHER News
RO KHANNA on I’ve Had It
