This drop in funding, along with the contentious filtering research, whipped Republicans up into a frenzy during the summer. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and nearly two dozen other Republicans introduced legislation that would prohibit email providers like Google from categorizing federal campaign correspondence algorithmically. The National Republican Senatorial Committee said in a draught letter acquired by The Washington Post earlier this month that “Google and its algorithms have given a clear edge to Democrat fundraising efforts, resulting in Republicans raising millions of dollars less than they should.”
When Google requested that the FEC rule on the program’s legality, the commission put it up for public discussion. Almost every one of the hundreds of comments submitted to the commission was unfavorable. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) stated that Google’s move will benefit Republicans while opening up Gmail to “abusive fundraising practices.”
Former President Donald Trump’s campaigns have been chastised for using spammy methods in their fundraising emails, either employing deceptive subject lines or simulating online discussions between voters and friends and family. Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican candidate for US Senate in Pennsylvania, came under criticism on Tuesday for sending a campaign fundraising email to supporters with the subject line “FBI RAID – BREAKING INFORMATION” only hours after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property earlier in the week.
